
Pass 1\ CS ' I 

Book * - ; P / / 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



! V ! 



EVERYBODY'S OWN PHYSICIAN 



OR 



HOW TO ACQUIRE AND PRESERVE HEALTH 



ILLUSTRATED 



With over Two Hundred and Fifty finely executed Wood-Cuts, many of which are Engraved from 

Models in the Author's Private Cabinet, and correctly represent nearly all of 

the Organs of the Body, in Health and Disease. 



BY 

C. W. GLEASON, M. D. 

PROFESSOR OP THE INSTITUTES OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY, EDITOR OP THE PHYSIOLOGIST, AUTHOR 

OF THE LAWS OP LIFE, AND ART OF PRESERVING HEALTH, POPULAR 

LECTURER ON SANITARY SCIENCE, ETC. 



SOLD ONLY BY SUBSCRIPTION 



THIRD THOUSAND. 



PHILADELPHIA: — 

H. N. McKINNEY & CO., PUBLISHERS, 
No. 18 North Seventh Street, 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, 

By H. N. McKINNEY & CO., 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



PREFACE. 



The time has come when people wish to know for themselves the causes 
of their diseases, and the proper remedies. In many cases, where sudden 
illness enters a family, prompt measures must be taken, and in the absence 
of a physician, when unacquainted with the proper remedy, a life is lost. 
How important then, that everybody should study and understand them- 
selves. 

It is the aim of this book to give this much needed information. The 
Author has lectured for nearly thirty years in the principal towns in this 
country, and is well known, and has acquired a distinguished reputation as a 
E ccossful Popular Lecturer , and a Physician. In addition to a thorough 
n - anation of the Human Body, its construction, form, and requirements, 
amiiiar diseases are explained, their causes and symptoms are given, with 
the remedies, and the reasons why such remedies are used. The causes, 
mptoms and remedies, are so plainly given, that any one can follow them ; 
and this alone makes the book invaluable. But not only does the Author 
tell how to cure disease, but he explains fully how to keep well, and avoid 
sickness, how to acquire and preserve health, strength, beauty and long life. 
The chapters on the Origin of Life^ and the Uses and Abuses of the Re- 
productive Organs, have been carefully written and deliberated on before 
publication, and it is believed and earnestly hoped by the Author and Pub- 
lishers, that as they have been written in the highest interests of humanity, 
in a chaste and delicate manner, yet so plain that all can understand, that 
they will not be misunderstood ; and it is confidently believed that the book 
will be warmly welcomed by an appreciative Public, as meeting fully a long 
felt want. 

C. W. GLEASON, M. D. 

1007 Arch St. PhilaoTa. 

(3) 



IV CONTENTS. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

LECTURE L— INTEODUCTOEY 1 

Know Thyself, a Divine Command ; Eeasons why every one should Study and 
understand the Nature and Uses of their own Organization ; the law of Self 
Preservation the First Law of Nature ; no one can be reasonable, Moral, or 
Eeligious in their Conduct upon Subjects they do not understand; cannot be 
Healthy, Happy or Useful, without Physiological Knowledge ; Influence of 
such Knowledge in Suppressing Quackery and Imposition. 

LECTUEE II.— OEGANS OF DIGESTION 10 

Salivary Glands ; Uses of the Saliva ; Tea and Coffee ; The Teeth ; Causes 
of the Decay of the Teeth ; How to Preserve the Teeth ; The Tongue ; The 
Throat ; Deglutition, &c. 

LECTUEE III.— THE STOMACH AND LIVEE 20 

The Stomach ; Gastric Follicles ; Nerves and Blood- Vessels of the Stomach ; 
The Gastric Juice ; The Duodenum ; The Liver ; The Pancreas ; Physiology 
of Digestion, &c. 

LECTUEE IV.— NUTEITION 29 

The Small Intestine ; The Villi ; Thoracic Duct ; Lacteal Glands ; Disease 
of the Lacteal Glands and Absorbents; Large Intestine ; Piles ; Cure of Piles; 
Constipation ; Cure of Constipation, &c. 

LECTUEE V.— HOW TO ACQUIEE GOOD DIGESTION 39 

Quantity of Food Eequired ; Consequences of Over Eating ; Over Feeding 
Young Children ; Digestibility of Various Kinds of Food ; Why Bread is 
the Staff of Life ; What Kind of Bread is Best ; How to Make Good Bread. 

LECTUEE VI.— HOW TO ACQUIEE GOOD DIGESTION 47 

Animal Food ; How it Should be Cooked ; Why a High Temperature Hard- 
ens Meat and Makes it Leathery ; Salt Meat and Fish ; Fried Meats and Fish ; 
Why All Food Should be Cooked in Water Only ; Soups ; Time Eequired 
to Digest our Food ; Abuse of Alkalies ; Eapid Eating; Frequent Eating; 
Stomach Must Eest, &c. 

LECTUEE VII.— DISEASE OF THE STOMACH 59 

Inflammation of the Stomach ; Ulceration of the Stomach ; Perforation of 
the Stomach ; Cancer of the Stomach ; Ulceration of the Duodenum ; Conges- 
tion of the Liver ; Enlargement of the Liver, &c. 

LECTUEE VIIL— DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION 66 

Symptoms Caused by Indigestion ; Why Indigestion Causes Impure Blood ; 
Why Indigestion Causes Scrofula ; Why Indigestion Causes Neuralgia and 
Eheumatism ; Why Indigestion Causes Catarrh and Consumption ; Why In- 
digestion is Not Cured ; How to Cure this Disease of the Organs of Digestion ; 
What to Eat, and What to Avoid, &c* 



CONTENTS. V 

LECTURE IX.— CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD 77 

The Heart ; Pericardium ; Rheumatic Inflammation of the Heart Case ; Inte- 
rior of the Heart ; Arteries and Veins ; Indolent Ulceration of the Leg ; Pul- 
monary Circulation ; Arterial Circulation ; Capillary Circulation ; Inflamma- 
tion of the Interior of the Heart ; Ossification of the Valves ; Functions of 
the Heart ; How to Stop Bleeding in Case of Accident, &c. 

LECTURE X.— HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HEART 89 

Influence of Exercise Upon the Heart ; Influence of the Passions ; Influence 
of the Moral Sentiments ; Influence of Dress, &c. 

LECTURE XL— DISEASES OF THE HEART...., 95 

Inertia, or Weakness of the Heart ; Irritation of the Heart ; Neuralgia of 
the Heart ; Enlargement of the Heart ; Fatty Degeneration of the Heart ; 
Diseases of the Blood ; Impoverishment of the Blood ; Impurity of the Blood ; 
How to Purify the Blood, &c. 

LECTURE XII.— DISEASES OF THE BLOOD 102 

Scrofula ; Enlargement of the Glands of the Neck ; Causes of Scrofula ; In- 
fluence of Pork ; How to Prevent Scrofula ; Influence of Sunlight ; How to 
Cure Scrofula, &c. 

LECTURE XIII.— CATARRH 113 

Anatomy of the Nose ; SnufF Takers ; Nerves of Smell; Cavity of the Throat; 
Disease of the Throat ; Enlargement of the Tonsils ; Symptoms of Nasal 
■ Catarrh ; Ozena ; Polypus in the Nose ; Causes of Catarrh ; Cure of Catarrh ; 
Nasal Douche ; Various Inhalations, &c. 

LECTURE XIV.— ORGANS OF RESPIRATION 128 

Bones of the Chest ; Diaphragm ; Movements of the Ribs in Breathing ; Skel- 
eton of a Child at Birth; Injurious Effects of Tight Dressing; Fashion ; Or- 
gan of the Voice ; Cultivation of the Voice ; Diseases of the Organ of the 
Voice ; Croup ; Diphtheria and Ulceration of the Larynx, &c. 

LECTURE XV.— THE AIR-TUBE 142 

The Trachea ; Inflammation of the Wind Pipe ; How to Stop Coughing ; 
Bronchial Tubes ; Air-Ceils ; Asthma ; Pulmonary Consumption ; What are 
Tubercles ; Formation of Tubercles ; Cavities in the Lungs ; Cure of Con- 
sumption, Ac- 
lecture XVI.— HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS 152 

How to Acquire Length of Life ; Plow to Strengthen Weak Lungs ; Influence 
of Position of the Body ; Influence of Dress ; Ventilation ; Respiration of 
Impure Air, &c. 

LECTURE XVIL— THE BRAIN AND NERVES 166 

Anatomy of the Brain ; Composition of the Brain ; Brain Food ; Nutrition 
of the Brain ; Nerves of the Brain ; Sympathetic Nerves ; Causes and Cure 
of Nervous Irritability, &c. 



V1 CONTENTS. 

LECTURE XVEX— ON THE SPINAL CORD AND NERVES 182 

Anatomy of the Spinal Cord ; Origin of the Spinal Nerves ; Nerves of Motion, 
and Nerves of Sensation ; How to Strengthen "Weak Nerves ; How to Strength- 
en the Brain ; Influence of Want of Education ; Influence of Want of Phy- 
sical Employment, &c. 

LECTURE XIX.— DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVES 195 

Injurious Influence of Tea, Coffee, and Tobacco ; How Tobacco affects the 
Brain and Nerves ; How it affects the Nerves of the Heart and the Lungs ; 
How it injures the Brain, more especially in Youth ; How it Causes Cancer 
of the Lip, Tongue, &c. 

LECTURE XX.— THE EYE 203 

Lachrymal Gland ; Closure of the Tear Passages ; Meibomian Glands ; Scro- 
fulous Sore Eyes ; Deformities of the Lids ; Catarrhal Sore Eyes ; Granular 
Lids ; Pterygium, or Film ; Crooked Eyes ; How to Straighten them, &c. 

LECTURE XXL— THE EYE 214 

Structure of the Eyeball ; Inflammation of the Cornea ; Middle Coat of the Eye ; 
Inflammation of the Iris ; The Pupil; Closure of the Pupil ; The Crystalline 
Lens ; Near Sight ; Far Sight ; Cataract ; Internal Coat of the Eye ; Amau- 
rosis ; How to Strengthen Weak Eyes, &c. 

LECTURE XXII.— ANATOMY OF THE EAR 225 

The External Ear; Membrane of the Drum; Myringitis, or Earache; Opacity 
of the Membrane; Cavity of the Drum; Inflammation of the Interior of the 
Ear; Bones of the Drum ; Ulceration of the Cavity of the Drum ; Perforation 
of the Membrane of the Drum ; Discharges from the Ear, &c. 

LECTURE XXni.— INTERNAL EAR 236 

Causes and Cure of this form of Deafness ; Use of the Aural Atomizer ; La- 
byrinth; Nerves of Hearing; Nervous Deafness; Deafness from Old Age; 
How to Cultivate the Ear, and Improve the Sense of Hearing, &c. 

LECTURE XXIV.— THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION 244 

The Bones and Ligaments ; Causes and Cure of Stiff Joints ; The Muscles ; 
Muscles of the Chest ; Muscles of the Abdomen ; Causes of Weakness and 
Relaxation of these Muscles ; Muscles of the Spine ; Causes of Spinal Weak- 
ness ; Causes of Curvature of the Spine, &c. 

LECTURE XXV.— ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION 260 

Caries of the Spine ; Muscles of the Arms ; Muscles of the Leg ; Deformed 
Feet ; Corns and Bunions ; Ingrowing Toe Nails ; How to Cure them, &c. 

LECTURE XXVI.— HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH 274 

Why Exercise and Labor are Irksome and Painful to Invalids ; Want of Sys- 
tematic Physical Education in our Colleges ; Utility and Dignity of Labor. 

LECTURE XXVn.— HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH 283 

Injurious Influence of Idleness ; Why more attention is not paid to Physical 
Culture ; Good Health thought to be associated with Vulgarity and Coarse- 
ness ; Influence of Dress ; Influence of Joy, Hope, &c. 



CONTENTS. rn 

LECTUEE XXVin.— ON THE SKIN 294 

Structure of the Skin ; The Cuticle ; Cutis Vera, or True Skin ; Organs of Per- 
spiration ; Sebaceous Follicles ; Cutaneous Absorption ; Uses and Abuses of 
Clothing, &c. 

LECTUEE XXIX.— BATHING, &c 307 

Why we should Bathe Daily ; Moral Influence of the Bath ; Causes of many 
Diseases of the Skin ; The Hairs of the Skin and Scalp ; Growth and Decay 
of the Hairs ; Diseases of the Scalp ; Causes and Cure of Dandruff, &c. 

LECTUEE XXX.— DISEASES OF THE SKIN 318 

Different Varieties of Diseases of the Skin ; The Papula? or Pimples ; The 
Squamse or Scales ; the Exanthemata or Eashes ; The Bulla? or Blisters ; The 
Pustulse or Pustules ; The Vesiculse or Vesicles ; The Tuberculae or Tubercles; 
The Macula?, or Marks ; Burns, Scalds, &c. 

LECTUEE XXXL— UEINAEY OEGANS 342 

Anatomy of the Kidneys ; The Ureters ; Bladder ; Urethra ; Prostate Gland ; 
Seminal Vesicles ; Urine : Composition of Healthy Urine ; How to Detect 
Diseases of the Urine ; Eed Gravel ; White Gravel ; Yellow Gravel ; Albu- 
minous Urine ; Bright's Disease ; Diabetic Urine ; Pus, or Matter in the Urine. 

LECTUEE XXXII.— DISEASES OF THE UEINAEY OEGANS 355 

Congestion of the Kidneys ; Uraemia, or Eetention of Urine in the Blood ; 
Inflammation of the Kidneys ; Bright's Disease ; Encysted Kidney ; Tuber- 
cular Kidney ; Cancer of the Kidney ; Gravel ; Diabetes ; Inflammation of 
the Bladder; Eetention and Incontinence of the Urine ; Enlargement of the 
Prostate Gland ; Inflammation of the Urethra ; Irritability and Weakness of 
the Urethra ; Seminal Weakness ; Stricture, &c. 

LECTUEE XXXIII.— CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN 374 

Difference Between the Male and Female Organization ; Kind of Labor Best 
Adapted to the Male and Female ; Anatomy of the Female ; The Womb ; 
Prolapsus of the Womb ; Varieties of Displacement ; Causes of Prolapsus ; 
Symptoms of Procidentia ; Symptoms of Anteversion ; Symptoms of Eetro- 
version, &c. 

LECTUEE XXXIV.— DISEASES OF WOMEN 390 

The Vaginal Canal ; Leucorrhoea ; Causes of Leucorrhcea ; Cure of Leucorr- 
hoea ; Ulceration of the Neck of the Womb ; Cure of Ulceration of the Neck 
of the Womb; Diseases of the Cavity of the Womb ; Intra Uterine Tumors ; 
Ovarian Tumors. 

LECTUEE XXXV.— FUNCTIONAL DISEASES OF THE WOMB 400 

Puberty ; Menstruation ; Irregular Menstruation ; Suppressed Menstruation ; 
Painful Menstruation ; Profuse Menstruation ; Cessation of Menstruation. 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

LECTURE XXXVI— ORIGIN OF ANIMAL & VEGETABLE LIFE, 407 

All Plants and Animals begin their existence in a minute Cell Germ ; The 
lower forms of Plants and Animals non Sexual ; Their Rapid Reproduction 
and Multiplication ; Sexual Plants and Animals ; Formation of an Ovum, 
or Egg ; Union of Male and Female Cell Germs, forming an Embryonic Cell ; 
Ova or Spawn of Reptiles, Fish and Birds ; How they are Impregnated ; 
Incubation, and Formation of the Frog, Fish and Bird from the contents of 
the Ovum ; Time Required to complete the process of Incubation ; Vege- 
table Reproduction ; Male and Female Organs of the Plant ; How the Seed 
Germs are Impregnated ; Influence of the best seed in increasing the quantity 
and improving the quality of Root and Seed Crops, &c. 

LECTURE XXXVII— ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE 414 

How the Human Being begins its Existence in a minute Cell Germ ; Forma- 
tion of the Human Ovum, or Egg ; Formation of the Male and Female Cell 
Germs ; How the Union of these Male and Female Germs Result in the For- 
mation of a New Being ; Causes and Cure of Sterility ; Appearance of the 
Human Ovum after Impregnation ; Formation of the Embryo, audits Develop- 
ment into the Human Foetus ; Its appearance at Twelve Days ; Fifteen Days; 
Three Weeks; Six Weeks; Two Months; Three Months, Illustrated ; Foeticide 
Criminal ; Nutrition of the Foetus shown ; Influence of the Mother's Blood 
Upon Her Child ; How and Why all Diseases of the Body are Inherited ; 
Mental and Moral Condition of Parents Inherited ; The Sins of Parents Vis- 
ited upon their Children down to the second and third generation ; Insanity 
and Idiocy Inherited ; Management of Pregnancy ; How Child Birth May 
be Rendered Safe and Easy by Living Right, &c. 

LECTURE XXXVIIL— ABUSES OF THE ORGANS OF REPRODUC- 
TION... 

The Seminal Fluid constantly forming in Man and the lower Animals ; Enor- 
mous Length of the Seminal Ducts ; Where they terminate beneath the Blad- 
der in the Seminal Vesicles ; Seminal Vesicles always contain this Fluid ; 
These Seminal Sacs only Emptied During the Act of Procreation ; What 
becomes of the Seminal Fluid when not used to Procreate the Species ; 
Influence of this Fluid seen in modifying the Growth of Domestic Animals, ' 
the Capon and Cock, the Ram and Wether, Bull and Ox, a Continent Man 
and a Eunuch ; Influence of the Seminal Fluid upon the Voice, and Beard ; 
Influence of Castration upon Animal Life ; Most Important and Vital of all 
the Fluids in the Body ; Its Loss forty times as Weakening as the Loss of the 
same amount of Blood ; How to Acquire the Highest Degree of Physical 
Strength ; Prize Fighters and the Athletae are Trained in Perfect Continence ; 
Story of Samson, How he Lost his Strength, and How he Regained it ; Dis- 
astrous Influence of Sexual Excess upon Physical Health, and the Mental and 
Moral Faculties ; Sexual Excess the Grave of Domestic Happiness ; Influ- 
ence of Sensualism upon Nations and Individuals; Disastrous Results 
of Want of Scientific Information in Early Life upon this Subject ; Onanism, 
or Secret Vice ; Its Consequences ; Spermatorrhoea ; Its Causes and Cure, &c. 



LECTURE I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Know Thyself— was inscribed upon the oracle at Delphos by the ancient Sages 
and Philosophers, for, adds the modern poet, " the_ proper study of mankind is 
man." There is no object, in a material point of view, which is more worthy of 
our study and investigation than the structure, form and functions of the various 
organs of the human body. The study of this wonderful system is not only im- 
portant, but it is intensely interesting ; for as we advance in its investigation, we 
shall not fail to observe that man is indeed fearfully and wonderfully made ! 

In view of the very great interest and immense importance of the subject, is it 
not strange that its investigation has so long been neglected by the great mass of 
our fellow men ? Go where you will into our various institutions of learning, and 
you will there find the pupils engaged in studies of comparatively little import- 
ance while that great and noble science which teaches us the nature of ourselves, 
and our relations to the external universe, is passed by unheeded ! 

There are few objects with which we are less acquainted than with our own 
natures, and yet we are continually acting as though we were acquainted with 
ourselves, our capacities, our wants, and the best means of improving our moral, 
physical and intellectual condition. Is it, then, possible for the blacksmith to 
mend a watch, the machinery of which he is entirely unacquainted with, or for 
the statesman and the moralist to improve the moral, physical and intellectual 
condition of mankind, without first rendering themselves perfectly familiar with 
the nature of that beautiful organization which enters into the formation of man, 
as well as the laws which regulate its development, and maintain its healthy ac- 
tion down to the latest period of time assigned to man ? 

If we turn our attention to the consideration of the various objects in the mate- 
rial universe which pass in review before us, we shall be struck with the wonderful 
order which is displayed in their movements, evincing design in their most beau- 
tiful adaptation of means to ends, and showing the necessity of a great superior 
and controlling Intelligence in their formation. The movements of all these va- 
rious objects, in the animate and inanimate worlds, are governed by fixed and 
unchangeable laws, which were established by the Creator for the preservation of 
the beauty and harmony of nature. 

The laws by which the winds blow, and the tides of the ocean measure with 
inimitable exactness the'hours of ever-flowing time — the laws by which the plan- 
ets roll, and the sun vivifies plants — the laws which preside over the subtle com- 
binations of chemistry, and which measure the amazing velocities of light and 
electricity — the laws which regulate the productions of the animal and vegetable 
kingdoms, are all radiant with eternal beauty ; and their contemplation fills us 
with awe and admiration, as we behold, reflected in their sublimity and grandeur, 
the wisdom and the power of their Creator ! 

"The inanimate worlds move and gravitate, and are chemically changed from 
form to form. The animate worlds live and reproduce their kind, and die, in 
obedience to fixed and unchangeable laws. These laws the intellect of man can 
discover and understand, and thus render his dominion coextensive with his know- 
ledge. So far as we understand the laws of nature, we can bring all substances 
governed by them beneath their action, and thus produce the results which we 
desire. So far as we understand the Creator's laws, he invests us with this power. 
When knowledge enables us to speak as with the flaming tongue of lightning 
across a continent, is it not the same as though we had power to call down the 
swiftest angel from heaven, and send him abroad as the messenger of our thoughts ? 
When a knowledge of the sciences of astronomy and navigation enables us to 
leave any port we please on this side of the globe, and thread our labyrinthine 
way, among contrary winds, and through the currents and counter-currents of the 
ocean, and enter any port we please on the opposite side of the globe, is it not the 
^ same as though the Creator, for this purpose, had endowed us with his all-seeing 
vision, and enabled us to look through clouds and darkness around the convex 
earth?" 



2 INTRODUCTORY. 

To man was given dominion over the earth, and in it he discovers a vast and 
perfect apparatus, adapted and designed to minister to his enjoyment, and to ag- 
grandise his power. The globe, with all of its dynamic energies, its mineral 
treasures, its vegetable powers, its life and action, is only a grand and divinely 
wrought machine placed in his hands, and on the condition of knowledge he may 
wield and use it as the artisan uses his instruments. Knowledge inaugurates us 
into the office of superintendent and director of the elements and all their powers. 
By means of knowledge they may all be made ministering servants to our pleasures 
and our profit. 

Such, is the true, philosophic relation in which we stand to this earth — to the 
perfect system of laws which govern it, and to the mighty and exhaustless energies 
with which its frame, and every organ of its frame, is filled. Gravitation, repul- 
sion, caloric, magnetism, air, water, light, lightning : by means of knowledge we 
can control their powers, and render them ministering angels to our profit and our 
pleasure. 

The health and happiness of mankind also depend upon a knowledge and obe- 
dience of the physical laws. If man violates the law of gravitation, and leaps 
from the precipice into the abyss, he is dashed in pieces upon the rocks beneath, 
as a punishment for his temerity. If he thrusts his hand into the boiling water, in 
violation of the laws of heat, he burns and destroys his own beautiful organization. 
If he leaps from the deck of the vessel into the ocean, he is drowned ; if he violates 
the laws which govern the movements of electricity, and neglects to rear the light- 
ning rod upon his dwelling, the subtle fluid descends, and he falls a victim to his 
own ignorance and folly. The intelligent mechanic constructs his beautiful steam 
engine in accordance with these principles ; every part is designed with a particu- 
lar object in view, and is destined to occupy a particular place in the machine, and 
to move in accordance with fixed laws. When directed by knowledge, it flies along 
the iron rail with the speed of lightning, and power of steam. But when directed 
by ignorance and presumption, it hurls its unworthy superintendent to destruction ! 

The constitution of the human being is composed of a great number of organs, 
constructed upon the most beautiful, chemical, mechanical, and dynamic princi- 
ples, and is governed by a system of organic laws, upon the proper observation of 
which, the health of mankind depends. If we do not understand and obey the 
organic laws which regulate the healthy action of the nutritive system, we shall 
soon find disease manifesting itself in the stomach, the liver, or the intestinal canal, 
as a penalty inflicted upon us as a punishment for their violation ! The circulation 
of the blood is carried on through the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins, and if 
we do not comply with those laws, which regulate the healthy action of this system, 
we shall soon labor under the influence of weakness and exhaustion ! If we do 
not comply with the laws of respiration, we shall soon labor under the influence of 
pulmonary consumption. The same is true in reference to the secreting, locomo- 
tive, and nervous systems. Their functions are all governed by fixed and unchange- 
able laws, which man, in his intelligence, is capable of appreciating, comprehending 
and obeying. 

Not only man's physical, but also his mental and his moral natures, are governed 
by fixed and immutable laws. If we comply with the mental laws, we shall thereby 
secure the strength and perfection of our mental powers; And if we obey the 
physical, organic, mental, and moral laws, we shall not only secure health and 
happiness in this world, but also in that world which is to come. The social rela- 
tions of man in all civilized society, are also regulated and governed by their own 
system of laws. Our various legislatures meet, from year to year, and enact these 
civil laws, and at the same time attach penalties to their disobedience. The civil 
government publishes its system of laws in the various towns and counties through- 
out each State, in order that every good citizen may become acquainted with their 
nature and penalty, as well as the necessity of their obedience. 

But the natural laws differ from the civil laws in the certainty of punishment 
which follows the disobedience of the former, and the possibility of escape from the 
violation of the latter. If it appears in the evidence upon trial, that man violates 
the laws of his fellow man, ignorantly or accidently, it is considered a mitigating 
circumstance, and not unfrequently his offence is forgiven. But the Creator is no 
respector of persons. He grants no indulgence to the ignorant and foolish man. 



INTRODUCTORY. 6 

We are all, indeed, punished alike for the violation of the same law. If the wise 
man and foolish man, the vicious and the moral, commit the safety of their lives to 
the dangers of a tempestuous sea in an unworthy vessel they find one common grave. 

Now, God's natural laws cannot be obeyed, unless they are understood ! We 
send our missionaries among the heathen and barbarous races, in order to make 
known to them the glorious truths of divine revelation ! We build our temples of 
worship and employ teachers to expound the moral law, so that none may perish 
through ignorance, but come to the knowledge of the truth which is revealed to 
us in the Sacred Scriptures ; while hundreds and thousands of human beings an- 
nually perish for want of that knowledge which the Creator has alone revealed to 
them through the study of themselves ! 

For ages, most of our attention has been directed to the improvement of man's 
moral nature, independent of his physical organization. Now the soul cannot exist 
in this world independent of the body, and the perfect system of laws which gov- 
ern it; and it is equally incumbent upon us as a Christian and a moral duty, to pre- 
serve the one and obey the other. 

The Bible reveals to us a most perfect system of laws for man's moral govern- 
ment, and those laws we believe to be divine, because they harmonize with man's 
nature, capacities, and wants. But it should not be forgotten that the great Creator 
who made the Bible, also made man, and the perfect system of laws which regulate 
his physical, as well as his mental and his moral nature; a knowledge of which he 
has only revealed through the study of our own organization. The laws of nature 
are indeed the laws of God, and execute themselves whenever their integrity is 
violated either voluntarily or involuntarily, through ignorant presumption, or wil- 
ful disobedience. Nor is there any difference in the sanctity of any of his laws ; 
since they are all of them founded in justice, they are equally divine, and He ex- 
pects all of his children not only to obey one but all of them ; and if we do not, he 
has provided the means of punishment, in the form of pain and disease in this 
world, and anguish and despair in the next. 

How exceedingly important, then, it is, that we should understand and obey these 
laws ; inasmuch as we cannot hope to escape the penalty which is inflicted upon us 
as a punishment for their disobedience ! You would not entrust the safety of your 
lives to the care of an ignorant engineer — to the care of one who was entirely un- 
acquainted with the nature and power of the steam engine, as well as the laws which 
regulate its action. How foolish it is, then, for man to entrust his life, his health, 
and his happiness, to the direction of his own uninformed mind, to the guidance of 
one who is entirely unacquainted with the structure, nature and uses of his own 
physical organization, as well as the laws which regulate its movements. 

Not long since, I was walking through a beautiful park, when I saw painted upon 
a board attached to one of the trees, "all dogs caught within this park, will be shot : " 
says a friend of mine, "Doctor, unless dogs can read, they must be in great danger 
here." Now God has not only written his laws upon the trees, but in the stars and 
flowers, and upon the constitution of man, and if the human being is not able to 
read them, he is even in greater danger than the dog, for the dog has his master to 
read for him ; but man has no master between himself and his God ! 

" Health, strength^and longevity, depend upon fixed and unchangeable laws, and 
not upon chance or accident. There is no arbitrary interference of higher powers 
with them. Primarily our parents, and secondarily ourselves, are responsible for 
our diseases, pain, and suffering. The Providence of God is no more responsible, 
because the virulence of disease rises above the ordinary powers of medicine, or 
because one-fourth part of those who are born die before they complete the age of 
one year — one seventieth part of the time allotted to them by the psalmist— I say 
the Providence of God is no more responsible for these things, than it is for picking 
pockets, or stealing horses !" Disease and pain come not by chance or accident ; 
but are rather the penalties which are inflicted upon us, as a punishment for our dis- 
obedience of the organic laws, which we can only become acquainted with by the 
study of ourselves. "There is, indeed, no effect produced without a cause," and to 
admit such an unphilosophic assertion, would sap the very foundation upon which 
the Christian religion depends for its support. 

Even the lightning does not deviate from its course, but moves in accordance 
with fixed and unchangeable laws, a knowledge of which, has enabled man to 



4 INTRODUCTORY. 

cell down this swiftest angel of Heaven, and send him abroad, as the messenger of 
has thoughts ! The mutterings of the thunder, are no longer regarded as an evi- 
idnce of the wrath of an offended Deity, nor is the descent of electricity, in obedi- 
ence to His unchangeable laws, regarded as a special dispensation of Divine Prov- 
idence ! Since the days of our own immortal Franklin, the Creator has revealed to 
man His laws, governing the movements of electricity, and the means of regulating 
its powers, of chaining the lightning and bringing it harmless from the clouds; and 
if man avails himself of this revelation, and rears the lightning rod upon his dwell- 
ing, he secures its certain protection, as the reward of his obedience of nature's laws. 

The miserable victim of intemperance, who blunts his senses, and drowns his 
reason in the circean cup, and then exposes his constitution to frosty elements on a 
cold and dismal winter's night, as certainly violates God's organic and physical 
laws, and commits suicide, as he who voluntarily leaps from the brink of the cata- 
ract into the abyss below ? 

But a few years since, and small-pox was regarded as a special dispensation of 
Providence, but the revelations of God, in the discoveries of modern science, have 
disclosed to us, in the principle of vaccination^ the means of robbing this fearful 
pestilence of all its terrors ! 

Many of our diseases, it is true, are hereditary, though never the result of chance 
or accident. Our parents may indulge their passions, appetites, and propensities to 
excess, and thus produce disease, pain, and suffering in themselves, and afterwards 
transmit disease and debility to their offspring. Color, form, features, scrofula, 
consumption, gout, rheumatism, idiocy and insanity, are all hereditary. " The sins 
of the fathers are visited upon their children down even unto the third and fourth 
generation," nor human law nor human device can break the entailment. " In 
these hereditary inflictions, nature abhors alike the primongeniture laws of Eng- 
land and the salic laws of France. All of the sons, and all of the daughters are 
made inheritors, not in equal proportions, but, by a kind of multiplication of the 
disease, each inherits the whole ! " 

Now what are the sins of the fathers which are thus visited upon their unfortu- 
nate offspring? "Sin" has been denned as a "violation of the laws of God;" 
and the "sinner" is one who lives in the daily or habitual violation of the physi- 
cal, organic, mental, or moral laws of the Creator ! Indeed, all pain, disease, and 
premature death, not only in this world but in that which is to come, result from 
the violation of the Creator's laws ! Verily, " the wages of sin is death," and the 
physiologically wicked do not live out half their days. 

The annals of medicine demonstrate that nearly one-third part of the diseases 
which afflict mankind are hereditary, and have been handed down from parents to 
progeny, in consequence of their violation of the organic laws ! What an inter- 
esting fact is here revealed to the philanthropist! The thought that at least one- 
third part of the disease and suffering of those who shall live in the next genera- 
tion depend upon our conduct in this, is well calculated to fill our minds with the 
awful responsibility which rests upon us. 

Many uninformed, but well-meaning men and women, have long thought that 
all pain and disease were providential and designed by the Creator for the improve- 
ment of man's moral nature — "to wean him from the cares and anxieties of the 
world, and to render him more spiritual minded." They seem to have forgotten 
that virtue is active, and that good health is indispensable for its proper cultivation. 
" Good health is indispensable to almost every form of human enjoyment. It is 
the grand auxiliary to all usefulness; and if it is the duty of man to love the Lord 
his God, with all his heart, and soul, and strength, how much more abundantly 
may he do so, in the vigor of health, than under the palsy of disease?" It is, indeed, 
astonishing that we have so long assented to the truth of such absurd ideas as these, 
in view of their direct tendency to immorality, in rendering mankind irresponsible 
for their conduct in eating, and in drinking, and in the proper regulation of their 
appetites, passions and propensities. The organic laws hold mankind strictly 
accountable for their own habits, in eating and in drinking, and in all that relates 
to their conduct in the affairs and pursuits of life ; and a knowledge of these sub- 
lime truths, and their practical application would prove a most powerful means for 
the regeneration of the world ! " Verily the man who is" physiologically " wicked, 



INTRODUCTORY. 

shall not live out half his days ; " nor is this the worst of his punishment, for he 
is more than half dead while he yet lives. 

An honest deacon living in the interior of the State of Pennsylvania, frequently 
held a discussion with a professional friend of mine, belonging to the same reli- 
gious society — the deacon declaring that all pains and disease were produced by 
the mysterious ways of Divine Providence, and the doctor as sturdily declaring 
that they were produced by mankind themselves, by violating the laws of health. 
One evening the deacon ate very heartily of buckwheat cakes and sausages, and 
was seized during the night with a severe fit of colic. Under such circumstances, 
he sent for my friend, the doctor, who very promptly refused to go, sending him 
word, that if God had thought proper to afflict him, providentially, with the colic, 
it was his duty to grin and bear it, and not complain ; at all events, he thought it 
was not his place to give medicine that would interfere with the operations of 
Providence ! In the course of an hour or two longer, the servant returned again, 
declaring that his master could live but for a short time if he did not obtain relief; 
and the physician knowing that God's laws were just and inexorable, and that he 
would not suspend them to relieve a thousand deacons, thought his brother had 
been punished enough for his folly, and concluded to try the effect of a little med- 
icine. As he entered the room, he saw, at a glance, the nature and cause of the 
difficulty, and giving him a small quantity of tartar emetic, he soon found relief. 
The worthy deacon learned, from sad experience, to recognize God's laws for 
man's physical, as well as man's moral government ! 

Let it never be forgotten that for every offence against the laws of health, nature 
will bring us into judgment. That however graciously God may deal with the 
heart of man, all experience proves that he never pardons the stomach, lungs, or 
brain. These must expiate their offences unvicariously ! The human being can- 
not eat and drink to excess, and when overtaken with disease, lay all the blame 
upon Divine Providence, without the greatest blasphemy 1 The Creator never 
accomplishes his purposes by the suspension of his own laws. If he should sus- 
pend the law of gravitation, it would be attended with the destruction of the uni- 
verse, which was created and formed by his own Almighty power ! Have you 
ever observed an instance of the suspension of this law ? Did you ever know the 
madman that leaped from the brink of a cataract into the abyss, to be suspended 
in mid-air, contrary to the law of gravitation ? Did you ever know a castle to 
rise as if by the influence of enchantment, in a single night, without the aid of 
mortal hands ? 'Have you ever known the mountain torrent to change its course, 
and run up hill ? Certainly not. Such a result would reverse the order of na- 
ture, and annihilate the works of God himself I During the prevalence of the 
terrible blast, the old Greek sailor called upon Neptune, saying, " Oh ! God, thou 
canst save or thou canst destroy, nevertheless I will steer my rudder true." Says 
Cromwell to his army, " trust in Providence, and keep your powder dry." Says 
Napoleon, " I have always observed that Providence favors the heaviest battalions." 

The philanthropist who shall convince the world that health, strength, and use- 
fulness depend upon fixed and unchangeable laws, and not upon chance or accident, 
will prevent more disease, pain, and suffering, than the art of medicine has relieved 
since its discovery. 

The injurious consequences arising from the general neglect to study and obey 
the organic laws, may be seen in the frequency of premature death. How few there 
are at the present day, who live to attain the age of three score and ten, the time 
allotted to them by the Psalmist. The statistics of our country show that more 
than one-fourth of those born annually, die before they reach the age of one year, 
and more than one-half before they complete the age of ten 1 

Now, surely the all-wise and benevolent Creator never designed that this early 
mortality should be the lot of man ; that more than one-half of his children should 
die before they come to years when they can understand and appreciate their own 
immortal nature and high destiny ! Premature death, so far as we can understand 
it, defeats the great object which the Creator had in view, at the time when he 
created man, and endowed him with immortal faculties, and sentiments to culti- 
vate and improve in this world, as a preparation for that higher and nobler sphere 
of action hereafter. 

If we consult the annals of medicine, we shall discover that the causes of the pre- 



6 INTRODUCTORY. 

mature death of countless millions, are within the control of human agency, and 
left in operation only in consequence of our ignorance of ourselves, and our rela- 
tions to external objects. 

If we contrast the female constitution of the present day with that of the mothers 
of the American Revolution, we shall observe its vast inferiority. How pale, weak 
and effeminate — how utterly incapable of performing those high and noble duties 
which nature and nature's God has assigned her, as the mother, the teacher and 
the companion of man ! Go visit the neighboring cemeteries and inquire who it is 
that fills those new made graves — who sleep their last sleep beneath the cold and 
silent marble — and you will learn the fate of many a fond mother and her dearly 
beloved offspring, leaving scarcely a vestige to tell the melancholy tale of their 
sufferings. 

How few females live to attain the full period of life allotted to mankind ! Is 
it strange that old Dr. Beecher, the distinguished New England divine, when sur- 
veying the contrast of the past and present generation of females, exclaimed to 
the audience of young men that he was addressing, " for God's sake, young men, 
take good care of your old women, for you will have few old ones long !" 

The injurious consequences which result from our neglect to study and obey 
the natural laws of the human constitution, may still be further seen from the fact 
that we are fast becoming a " nation of invalids." If we will station ourselves 
upon the corners of the streets, and observe the citizens as they move on before 
us, we will soon discover that at least nine out often labor under the influence of 
some ache or complaint, which embitters life, and destroys the pleasures of exist- 
ence. How many narrow chests and flushed countenances indicate incipient pul- 
monary consumption ! How many anxious countenances and glazed eyes indicate 
nervous debility, and mental imbecility ! How many red noses, rheumed eyes, 
and leprous countenances indicate that they have " loaned their stomach for a 
vinter's cess pool, or yielded it to the contaminating influence of the poisons of 
distiller or tobacconist I" How many devotees of appetite and victims of gout and 
rheumatism, in whose distorted joints you can almost hear the crack of the cork 
from the champagne bottle, as they hobble on before you ! How many distorted 
limbs, and pale and sallow countenances indicate the prevalence of scrofula, and 
humeral affections, produced from long confinement in impure air ! 

The sedentary avocations to which large numbers of delicate females are con- 
fined, in the principal cities of this country, occasion sad havoc irv human health, 
and no small deterioration in public morals. An incalculable number of females 
are-confined at sedentary employments, in impure air, from early morning until 
dewy eve, and, indeed, too often from dewy eve until early morning, engendering 
disease in themselves, and afterwards transmitting disease and debility to their 
unfortunate offspring. But large as is this class to which I have alluded, it is as a 
drop of water in the ocean when compared with the countless myriads of both 
sexes, and of every age, pent up in the foul atmosphere of our countless factories 
throughout this country, inhaling alike the moral and the physical poison, which 
corrupts the mind while it enervates the body, ''Can it be possible that the indivi- 
dual deterioration thus engendered, diffused and perpetuated, shall not, in the 
process of time, affect the great mass of society at large ? Unless these causes of 
deterioration shall be arrested by the general diffusion of physiological informa- 
tion, I think it is far from improbable, that some ten or twelve centuries hence, 
when New Holland shall have become a great and powerful empire, and the In- 
dies and Islands of the Ocean, a swarm of independent Republics, that some con- 
templative philosopher shall stand on the banks of the Potomac, as Gibbon stood 
on the tower of the Capitol at Rome, musing and meditating on the decline and 
fall of a great and glorious Republic, and on the degeneracy of a free people, 
whose commerce, arms, and arts, and sciences, had long been the theme of universal 
admiration and envy !" I know not why America may hope to escape the fate of 
Greece and Rome, and of all the great nations of antiquity, unless she profits by 
their example, and avoids the cause of their decline. 

" I know that there may be, and I believe that there is something in the soil, 
genius and Republican Institutions of the Anglo American race, that will main- 
tain a most desperate resistance to these inevitable causes of national deterioration ; 



INTRODUCTORY. 7 

but he must be blind, indeed, who does not witness the onward working of these 
causes in our own days !" 

If we would then avoid the fate of the most illustrious nations of antiquity ; 
if we would prolong our own individual existence, and increase our happiness, 
we must study the nature of ourselves, and our relations to external objects. 

This is a duty which is equally incumbent upon the healthy and robust, who 
would prolong life, as well as the weak and the feeble, who would wish to regain 
health. If you have a large and powerful horse, and you wish that he should 
last a long time, you treat him with the greatest kindness and attention ; you do 
not drive him too fast, and when he returns home covered with perspiration, you 
do not let him drink immediately, but cause the groom to rub and blanket him, 
in order that he may not take cold, and get rheumatism or stiffness in the joints. 
If you have a valuable watch, and you wish to preserve it for a long time, you 
use the greatest care in winding it, and keeping it from the dust and moisture, as 
experience has demonstrated this to be necessary to effect your object. Now why 
is it that man, with his boasted reasoning faculties, does not apply the same prin- 
ciples to himself? If fortunately he has inherited from his parents a sound and 
vigorous constitution, in the fulness of health he foolishly thinks that there is no 
end to his strength and vigor, and often abuses his organs by every species of ex- 
cess, and when at last overtaken «by disease, and the grave yawns to receive its 
unwilling victim, he sees the folly of his ways when too late, and dying, shrieks — 
" millions for a single moment of life !" How often the author has met the mis- 
erable victims of consumption, or incurable disease, who were born with vigorous 
constitutions, but who, for a series of years, had violated every law of health, to 
get gold, or to stimulate their unnatural appetites and passions, with tears in their 
eyes, and a countenance marked with the lines of despair, inquiring if there was 
really no hope of relief, no possibility of escape from the impending penalty, as a 
punishment for the disobedience of the organic laws of the human constitution, 
that they had so long set at defiance. Verily it is true " an ounce of prevention 
is worth a pound of cure !" 

A knowledge and obedience of the natural laws of the human constitution, is 
also indispensable to the promotion of happiness. Do you labor under the influ- 
ence of any disease, as for instance, a felon upon your finger ? — how utterly impos- 
sible it is for you to enjoy yourself during its continuance ! Does the young lady 
experience the pains of toothache ? — how nervous, irritable and unhappy she be- 
comes ! Health is indeed the greatest of all earthly blessings. It is indispensable 
for almost every form of usefulness! "Strike out health from the list of regal pre- 
rogatives, and the imperial diadem becomes a crown of thorns ! Without health, 
the armorial bearings and those glittering symbols of ancestral pride, and pomp, 
and noble birth, grow insipid, nay hateful to the eye of the possessor, as laughing 
in mockery at human suffering, and pointing to the grave as the only certain re- 
fuge from human woes — the only asylum which opens its gates indiscriminately to 
the relief of the high and the low." 

Without health, riches cannot procure ease, much less happiness. It would 
have been a cruel dispensation of Providence, if gold had been permitted to pur- 
chase that which is the poor man's chief wealth, and the want of which reduces 
the affluent to worse than indigence. The bed of sickness is indeed the greatest 
of all levelers, on this side the grave. Can the embroidered pillow, or the purple 
canopy, still the fierce throbbings of the fevered brain, or arrest the dire tortures 
of lacerating gout and rheumatism ? Can fame defy the stings of sickness ? No, 
the plaudits of the multitude can no more assauge the tortures of pain, than can 
"flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of death." The renown of a thousand victories 
could not diffuse an anodyne influence over the pillow of Napoleon. The laurels 
of Marengo could not defend him from the depressing influence of a St. Helena. 

Can power, the darling object of ambitious minds, neutralize the stings of pain, 
and compensate for the loss of health ? No, indeed ! A motion of that magic 
wand, the sceptre, can cause joy or sorrow, sickness or health in the subject ; but 
neither the diadem or the purple can lull the aching head, or quiet the palpitating 
heart of the prince. 

Is beauty inaccessible to sickness ? Of all the gifts which Heaven can bestow, 
" the fortune of a face" is the most doubtful in value. It is a mark at which everj 



8 INTRODUCTORY. 

malignant star directs its hostile influence — a light that leads both its bearer and 
its followers upon rocks and quicksands oftener than into the haven of repose. 
Between beauty and disease there is a perpetual warfare. They cannot coexist 
for any length of time, and the latter is sure to be the victor in the protracted 
contest." 

Again, the study of science is far more interesting than the study of literature, 
Literature, for the most part, is mainly descriptive of the works of man, while 
physical science deals in the works of God ; and the difference in their relative 
value is almost in proportion to the difference in their origin. Physical science 
addresses itself to the noble faculties of causality, and explains to us the natural 
relation between cause and effect, and thus divests the human mind of that credu- 
lity and superstition, which is so disgraceful to the age we live in. 

Look around you but for a single moment, and observe what foolish notions pre- 
vail among the great masses of mankind, as to the causes of our diseases and mis- 
fortunes, as well as their proper mode of relief. If any one labors under inflam- 
mation of the eyes, produced by scrofula or exposure to cold and damp air, it is 
often cured by the quack doctor with the very philosophical remedy of rubbing 
them with the end of a yellow cat's tail. If a child has the nose bleed, caused by 
the rupture of a very small blood vessel, he stops it by tying a red string around 
the child's neck. If the teeth cut through the gums with difficulty, they are soft- 
ened by the use of a black string. If the teeth decay and ache, the pain is arrested 
by touching the nerve with a splint from a tree that has been struck with lightning. 
Has the child any disease of the throat ? He often cures it by giving a little pow- 
der prepared by roasting a live swallow. Has it any internal fever ? He breaks 
it by charms and spells. Is the man afflicted with paralysis ? It may be cured, 
they say, by the king's touch, or by magnetic rings, bands and belts. If he unfor- 
tunately steps upon a nail, and it pierces his foot, he cures it by greasing the nail 
and laying it aside until the grease dries in. If his child is troubled with worms, 
he sends away for the quack, who spreads a little molasses along the child's spine, 
and when they come up to feed upon it, he cuts their heads off by scraping the back 
with an old dull razor. 

But you will say that none but the most ignorant could be duped and cheated by 
such absurd remedies in the hands of the designing empiric. This is indeed true, 
but unfortunately they make up a large class in the community. Not many years 
since' Dr. Chapman, the distinguished Professor of the Theory and Practice of 
Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania, accosted Mr. Swaim, the maker of 
Swaim's Panacea, in the streets of Philadelphia, asking him how it was that many 
of the most distinguished and meritorious members of the Profession in Philadel- 
phia were starving in their garrets, while all the quacks and vendors of patent 
medicine in the city were rolling in wealth and splendor. Swaim replied to the 
Doctor by asking him another question : " How many of those whom you have 
passed in the streets this morning, in making your professional calls, do you think 
know anything of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, or the causes 
of their diseases?" To which question he replied, "notmorethan onein a hundred." 
" Well," says Swaim, " you may doctor that one, and I will doctor the ninety-nine 
with my inimitable panacea." 

The better informed portion of the community, it is true, do not make use of 
these charms, signs and incantations or disgusting remedies, but the practice of 
taking all kinds of quack nostrums for every ache and pain, is equally absurd, and 
far more pernicious in its results. If the more intelligent portion of the commu- 
nity get an ache or complaint, produced by some excess, instead of revolutionizing their 
conduct or changing their habits, they look immediately to the columns of the daily 
journal for a sovereign remedy. Here they will find long lists of vegetable pills, 
universal remedies, cod liver oil, and sarsaparillas, in infinite variety, and certified 
to cure all sorts of complaints by various respectable citizens, clergymen and others. 
After trying the various vegetable elixirs, and finding they do not answer, then they 
resort to cod liver oil or sarsaparilla, only to be attended with a renewal of the 
disapointment. Now suppose you were to treat an excellent watch, the machinery 
of which you were entirely unacquainted with, in the same manner. If it did not 
keep time, send out and get a bucket of water and pour through it, to wash the dust 
out ; and afterwards pour into it a bottle of oil to oil it — would you expect it to 






INTRODUCTORY. 9 

keep time? Certainly not. How much less, then, may you expect your own beau- 
tiful organization to keep time after drenching it with panaceas, elixirs, bitters and 
cod liver oil ? 

Even the intelligent physician says, " the public will be doctored, and if I do 
not give them medicine, some one else will." This is, indeed, unfortunately but 
too true for the welfare and happiness of society. The humane and intelligent 
physician, who would retain public confidence and be successful in his calling, can 
scarcely be honest to the dictates of conscience. If he is not continually dosing the 
patient with various remedies, the friends lose their confidence in his skill. In this 
respect the mass of mankind are much like the old Scotch woman, in her reply to 
the physician who had given, through a mistake, an over dose of tartar emetic, and 
killed her husband. When the doctor called the next day to pay his customary 
visit and found it was all over with his patient, he expressed his regret, and the 
wife, sobbing with anguish, exclaimed : " Oh, Doctor, it is no fault of yours or the 
medicine either, for it wrought him powerfully to the very last ! " 

A friend of mine in the city of Philadelphia, one of our oldest and most con- 
scientious physicians, was sent for to visit a gentleman's wife who suffered from 
dyspepsia, produced by excessive eating and sedentary habits. The doctor made 
very light of the case, telling her that she did not require much medicine, and that 
she must eat less and exercise more, or take medicine, be sick, and probably die. 
Now such wholesome truths were not pleasing to a sentimental female suffering 
from indigestion. She wished to be thought very sick, and she immediately sent 
for another physician, well known in the same city for his quackish propensities. 
When he arrived he examined her pulse, and, with great gravity, sounded her 
lungs, and listened to the pulsations of her heart, and after asking her numerous 
questions about her health, he shook his head and as^ed why she did not send for 
him before, and declared that she labored under a complication of diseases, and that 
the case was one of the utmost gravity, and demanded the most careful treatment. 
He thought that with great care and the use of some fashionable nostrum, she 
might recover Of course he was employed, and after attending the case with the 
utmost assiduity for six months, she finally died, and he sent in his bill for $300, 
which the disconsolate husband thought was quite reasonable, considering the num- 
ber of visits which the doctor had made. The patient was doubtless killed by over 
medication ! 

Many simple minded people are easily imposed upon by high sounding terms, 
the meaning of which they do not understand ; but they suppose that all of those 
who are capable of using them must necessarily be very learned. No one under- 
stands better how to take the advantage of this weakness than the empiric. If any 
of his patients ask him what is the cause of their disease, he confounds them with 
a cloud of high sounding words, saying that "the only true and ; legitimate man- 
ner of accounting for this rare disease is the physiological defects in the membra- 
nous system. The obtuseness of the abdominal abdicator causes the cartilaginous 
compressor to coagulate into the diaphragm, and depresses the duodenum into the 
fiandango. Now if the disease were caused by the vogatum of the electricity from 
the extremities, the tympanum would also dissolve into spiritual sinctum, and the 
olfactory ossificator would ferment and become identical with the pigmentum. 
Now, as this is not the case, in order to produce your disease, the spinal rotundum 
must be elevated down to the spiritual spero. But as I said before, in order to 
produce this disease the inferior ligaments must subtend over the digitorum suffi- 
ciently to disorganize the stericoletum." This is what I call an explanation as 
clear as mud ! 

The only true remedy for the suppression of quackery, fraud and humbuggery is 
the diffusion of physiological knowledge among men ! If we would not have the 
ivy creep on the ground, we must erect a trellis, and it will ascend ! And so of 
the human mind, if we would detach it from that credulity, superstition and em- 
piricism which is so disgraceful to the age in which we live, we must unfold lor it 
higher and nobler objects, and by the general diffusion of knowledge teach man- 
kind that the only amaranthine flower on earth is virtue — the only lasting treasure 
truth. 



10 



THE ORGANS OP DIGESTION. 



LECTURE II. 

THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 

The organs concerned in digesting our food, consist of a long intestinal 
tube or alimentary canal, which is some thirty-two feet in length, or about 
six times the length of the human body, and which has appended to it the 
salivary glands, the teeth, the gastric follicles, the liver, pancreas and the 
glands of the small intestine. 

Anatomy op the Salivary Glands. 
Fig. 16. 




The Salivary Glands. 

The organs which form the saliva are called the salivary glands. When 
we remove the skin from the face, we shall bring into view below and in 
front of the ears, on each side, two organs called the parotid glands. 
These glands are sometimes inflamed and swollen in that disease called the 
''mumps." They receive a large amount of blood, from which they sep- 
arate a part of the saliva, which is poured into the mouth through two 
small pipes opposite the second upper double teeth. 






THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 11 

When we remove a part of the under jaw and tongue, we shall also 
bring into view the submaxillary glands, located beneath the angle of the 
lower jaw, and the sublingual glands, located beneath the tongue on each 
side, and their ducts, which pour the saliva which they secrete into the 
mouth, on each side of the fraenum linguae, or bridle of the tongue. When 
the ducts which carry the saliva from these glands under the tongue into 
the mouth are obstructed, and they become distended with an accumulation 
of saliva, causing the throat to swell, the disease is called Ranula or the 
"Frog/' 

Uses of the Saliva. 

It is estimated that the salivary glands secrete and pour into the mouth, 
about three pints of saliva every twenty-four hours. When examined by 
the chemists this fluid is found to be composed of water, holding in solu- 
tion a little soda, and a peculiar principle called pti/aline, which acts as a 
kind of ferment upon the food we eat, converting its starch into glucose, 
and then into sugar, and finally after it reaches the stomach into lactic acid, 
which aids in the digestion of our food. 

Hygiene of the Salivary Glands. 

G-ood food is the natural and proper stimulus of the salivary glands. 
When food is taken into the mouth it stimulates these organs to increased 
action, causing large quantities of blood to flow into them, rapidly increas- 
ing the flow of the saliva into the mouth, where it is mixed with our food, 
moistening and partly digesting it, and rendering it fit to be swallowed into 
the stomach. 

All of our food should be eaten slowly and chewed thoroughly, in order 
that the salivary glands may form sufficient saliva, and thoroughly mix it 
with our food, before it is swallowed. It never should be forgotten that 
the process of digestion begins in the mouth, and that our food ,may be 
half digested before we swallow it into the stomach, and that if this most 
important part of the process is interrupted or imperfectly performed, it 
will not be completed in the remaining portion of the intestinal canal. 

Rapid eating and imperfect insalivation of our food, is the bane of 
civilized life, and a most fruitful cause of painful and difficult digestion, 
it also creates the pernicious habit so common among children and gluttons 
of drinking large quantities of fluids at meal time, or of "rinsing it down," 
as it is often termed. When fluids are drunk at meal time they diminish 
the secretion of the gastric juice, and greatly impair the powers of diges- 
tion. No animal living in a state of nature will eat and drink at the same 
time. When the noble lion has consumed his food, he lays down and 
rests until it is digested, when he arises, allays his thirst from the silver 
spring, and again pursues his prey. Put some dry hay in one corner of 



12 THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 

the manger, and a bucket of water in the other corner, and see if the poor 
old horse or cow, with only blind animal instinct to govern their conduct, 
will take a mouthful of dry oats or hay, and then a sip of water to "rinse it 
down." All animals living in a state of nature eat their food dry, that it 
may be thoroughly insalivated and partly digested, while it is yet in the 
mouth, and before it is swallowed into the stomach. 

If we do not comply with this natural law of our organization, we shall 
be compelled to substitute some kind of artificial fluid in place of that 
which nature prepares for the purpose of partly digesting our food, such 
as tea, coffee or water. No one can abuse their organs of digestion in this 
way, without soon causing disease of the stomach, and indigestion. 

Any one can easily comprehend the injurious effect of drinking while 
eating, by the simple experiment of making some spirits of camphor. If 
we put a coarse piece of gum camphor into a bottle containing strong alco- 
hol, and immediately add a cup of water, it will so dilute and weaken the 
alcohol that it will not digest the gum camphor at all ; but if we powder 
the gum camphor very fine and then pour it into a bottle containing strong 
alcohol, and do not add any water, it will dissolve or digest in a few mo- 
ments ; and so of our food, when well chewed and thoroughly mixed with 
saliva, and then swallowed into the stomach, and brought in contact with 
the undiluted gastric juice, it will be soon digested. 

"When our food is eaten rapidly, and swallowed in large coarse masses of 
half cooked, and imperfectly masticated vegetables, meat, bread, &c, "rinsing 
it down" with repeated cups of tea, coffee or cold water, these fluids dilute, 
and reduce the strength of the gastric juice, causing pyrosis, "water brash,' ' 
weakness of the stomach, eructations, flatulency, &c, &c. 

Many wretched victims of indigestion, after taking all sorts of whiskey 
bitters, and other nostrums in vain, have cured themselves of terrible dys- 
pepsia, by eating slow, and chewing their food thoroughly, and perfectly 
mixing it with saliva, and drinking nothing at meal time. 

Tea and Coffee. 
Sometimes the question is asked, what shall I drink at meal time or with 
my food ? And the answer is, nothing ! If any fluid is taken at meal time, 
it should be warm water or warm milk and water. Cold water reduces the 
temperature of the stomach, and retards the secretion of the gastric juice, 
and it is impossible to condemn too strongly the use of cold ice water or 
ice creams at meal time, nothing could be more productive of weakness 
of the stomach, and the pains of indigestion. "When the mucous membrane 
lining the stomach and throat is inflamed, and the cavity of the stom- 
ach is empty i then iced water, and even small pieces of ice may be slowly 
swallowed into the stomach with great advantage, to allay inflammation, &c. 



THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 13 

When tea and coffee are used as beverages, they should be carefully 
prepared and then taken only in limited quantities at the close of the meal. 
They both contain peculiar stimulating properties, depending upon the 
presence of a volatile principle called theine and coffeine, said to be ident- 
ical by the chemists, they also contain tannin and a bitter extractive. 

When tea and coffee are placed in boiling water in a properly covered ves- 
sel, they will first give off their peculiar stimulating principle, upon which 
their savor and flavor depend, then their tannin, and finally a black bitter 
extractive \ it is for this reason that they should only be steeped in a cov- 
ered vessel for five or ten minutes, or long enough to extract their agree- 
able stimulating property, and then be immediately poured from the grounds, 
before serving upon the table, otherwise the tannin and bitter extractive 
which they contain will be removed, spoiling their flavor and causing the 
most obstinate constipation, &c. When tannin and iron are mixed they 
form a dark fluid called ink. If tea and coffee are allowed to steep half 
an hour so as to extract their tannin, and we dip the bright polished blade 
of the table knife into them, on its removal the blade will soon be covered 
with a coating of ink ; lay this knife on mother's clean, white linen table 
cloth, and see what she will do with your ears ? 

Is it a wonder that coffee and tea drinkers are often troubled with most 
obstinate constipation, and a sallow, dingy, rusty skin, and dark complexion ? 
Many of these victims of strong tea and coffee are tanned through and 
through, and their skins look and feel like rusty parchment or old leather. 
Many people who drink strong tea and coffee- three times a day, swallow 
tannin enough to tan all of the leather for their own shoes. Many of them 
have violent headaches, palpitation of the heart, nervous debility and ob- 
stinate constipation, for the cure of which they take enormous quantities 
of vegetable pills, and "the more they take the more they have to take," 
and it is no wonder they never find relief. They first drink strong tea, or 
take a powerful astringent to constipate the bowels, three times a day at 
meal time, and then take pills at bed time to open them again. After a few 
months of this kind of management, they get disgusted with medicine, be- 
cause it does not cure them, in spite of themselves, and their insane folly. 

When worn out and exhausted, they commence a course of "iron tonics," 
for relief; that is, they drink a solution of tannin at meal time, three times 
a day, and immediately after each meal they swallow a dose of iron, which 
uniting with the tannin of the tea or coffee fills their stomachs with ink, 
thus converting their stomach into a kind of "ink factory." After a long 
"course" of this kind of treatment, they conclude that all medicine is use- 
less, and become disgusted with all doctors. 

Instinct teaches all of the lower animals when thirsty to drink water 



14 THE ORGANS OP DIGESTION. 

only, and what the universal instinct of all animal life teaches them, is 
the most favorable to health and long life, must be the best of all fluids to 
drink. 

Anatomy op the Teeth. 
Fig. 17. 




The Teeth. 

The upper and lower jaws of the adult human being contain thirty-two 
teeth, which are divided into, those situated in front, called the incisors, 
or cutting teeth, designed to bite off our food, and then the canine teeth, 
so called from their supposed resemblance to the teeth of the dog, and the 
molars or grinding teeth, which are designed to grind, and reduce our food 
to the finest consistence before it is swallowed into the stomach. Figure 
(17) represents the portion of the bones of the upper and lower jaws, dis- 
sected in such way so as to exhibit the roots of the teeth, with numerous 
nerves entering their cavities. 

The teeth are divided into two portions called the crowns, which rise 
above the gums, and are covered with a dense coating called the enamel, 
for their protection, and the fangs or roots which are inserted into the 
sockets of the upper and lower jaws; they are also composed of two kinds of 
material limy matter, or bone earth, to give them solidity, and cartilaginous 
or gristly material, to prevent them from breaking while chewing our food. 

The transparent pearly layer called the enamel, which covers the crowns 
*£ our teeth, is sometimes called the vitreous or glassy layer, and is one 



THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 15 

of tlie densest and hardest of all animal substances, being designed to resist 
the injurious influence of friction, and prevent the teeth from being worn 
away, as they otherwise soon would be, by rubbing against each other while 
chewing our food.* 

Causes op the Decay of the Teeth. 

All animals living in a state of nature preserve their teeth free from 
decay until death. It is as unnatural for the teeth of any animal to decay 
prematurely, as it is for any of the other bones of their bodies. 

Dr. R. D. Mussey, formerly a distinguished teacher of anatomy at Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio, for many years, offered a standing reward of two hundred 
dollars, to any student who would procure him the jaws of any wild animal, 
the teeth of which presented the slightest evidence of rot or decay, and 
in vain. 

The enamel covering the crowns of the teeth being dense and like glass, 
is very easily injured by contact with hot substances. No person of ordin- 
ary intelligence would ever think of pouring hot water into a glass vessel, 
for fear of breaking it, and yet how many deliberately sip boiling hot tea 
and coffee ; in fact almost all of our food must be red hot, or boiling hot, 
to suit our depraved taste and appetite. 

All anatomists know perfectly well that all of the teeth will be cracked, 
broken and destroyed, if the skull is put into boiling water with the other 
bones of the skeleton, to cleanse them. As long as the ox and the cow 
feed upon the blades of grass upon the hill side, and drink pure water from 
the silver brooks or fountains, their teeth remain sound and perfect, but, 
when fed on hot slops from the distillery, they soon decay. 

Being composed of bone earth or lime, and cartilage or gristle, the teeth 
are easily injured by contact with acids, such as vinegar, pickles, &c, and 
also, by contact with alkalies, such as soda, potash, &c. Macerate half a 
dozen large human teeth in strong vinegar for a few days, and it will re- 
move the hard limy matter, and render them as soft as cartilage j soak 
them in a strong solution of lime, potash, soda, or sakeratus, and it will 
remove the cartilaginous matter, and render them so fragile and brittle, 
that they may be crushed between your thumb and finger, as you would 
crush an egg shell. 

More salaeratus and soda are used to make bread and cakes in America, 
than all of the rest of the world, and we shall find more people with de- 
cayed teeth in this, than in any other country, indeed it is only in America 
that we can find hundreds of amiable and beautiful young ladies not yet 
sweet sixteen, without a single natural tooth in their mouths, while the 
sign of the dentist multiplies in every direction. 



16 THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 

How to Preserve our Teeth. 

•Yery few people have any adequate idea of the injurious influence of 
decayed teeth upon human health. While every one will admit that the 
introduction of decaying fore ign animal matter into their stomachs, must 
be exceedingly pernicious, they do not appreciate the fact, that when their 
teeth are dead, and gradually mouldering and decaying in their mouths, 
they are gradually dissolved by the salivary secretions, and swallowed into 
the stomach, impairing digestion, and poisoning the blood. 

Dr. Ure, the distinguished chemist, assures us, that if we remove a little 
of the decayed animal matter from the roots of an old dead tooth in the 
mouth, and vaccinate ourselves, it will produce death, nine times out of 
ten ! If it was not for the strong antiseptic influence of the gastric juice, 
the same fatality would attend its introduction into the human stomach. 
A mouth full of decayed teeth is often the cause of terrible dyspepsia, 
which never can be relieved until the cause is removed by a skillful dentist. 

If we would preserve our teeth from premature decay, then we must 
stop abusing them, by carefully avoiding the use of all hot food and drink, 
and all alkalies and acids, such as soda bread and cakes, vinegar, pickles, 
&c. Cleanse the mouth and teeth twice a day, night and morning, with a 
soft brush and a little cool or tepid water, and to keep them white as pearls, 
use once or twice a week a little tooth paste, made of equal parts of honey, 
powdered gum myrrh, charcoal and prepared chalk. 

Phosphate and silicate of lime, and fluoride of calcium, are mineral sub- 
stances which enter largely into the composition of our teeth, and these 
substances also enter into the composition of the exterior covering of wheat 
and other grains. It is for this reason fine wheat flour does not contain 
sufficient mineral matter to form and preserve the teeth, and hence they 
are found most defective in those persons who eat fine flour bread, and 
most perfect in those persons who eat coarse bread, made of flour not de- 
prived of the exterior covering of the grain. 

We have dwelt somewhat at length upon the anatomy, physiology, and 
hygiene of the teeth, because they are not only useful to aid in the perfect 
digestion of our food, but they contribute, in no slight degree, to the mani- 
festation of the very highest form of beauty, namely, beauty of expression. 

"What pretty blooming girl, 
That lips so red, and tempting to the lover, 
Should not beneath their ruby casket cover 

One tooth of pearl, 
But like the rose beneath the church yard stone, 
Be doomed to blossom o'er many a mouldering bone." 

Indeed, the author can always excuse the vanity of any young lady, 



THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 



17 



Fig. 



if she laughs heartily, and opens her mouth from ear to ear, when she 
displays a mouth full of glittering pearly teeth, for they are so significant 
of character, so indicative of cleanliness and purity, from the crown of her 
head to the soles of her feet. 

When a man would purchase a horse, how carefully he examines his 
mouth to ascertain his true value, from the appearance of his teeth, and 
so of a wise and intelligent lady, when she would purchase a companion 
for life, she should carefully examine his mouth, and so ascertain his true 
value. If this part of his person is neglected or covered with dirt, and to- 
bacco juice, it shows clearly that he has no respect for his mouth, and in- 
dicates that he will not be over anxious or particular about cleanliness of 
the rest of his person, and unless she wishes to associate with dirt and 
uncleanliness, she had better wait for a better bargain. But if she finds 
his mouth clean, and 
his teeth glittering 
like pearls, and his 
breath free from the 
odorous fumes of whis- 
key and tobacco, she 
will find him cheap at 
any price. 

The Tongue. 

The tongue is situ- 
ated in the cavity of 
the mouth, and forms 
its floor. 

It is composed of 
a number of muscles, 
which are attached to 
the inside of the low- 
er jaw or chin, and 
the upper end of the 
wind pipe 

The tongue is an 
organ of considerable 
size and power, as any 
one might suppose 
from what they have 
seen of its uses. It 
is said to be much 

larger in WOmen than The cavity of the Nose, Mouth and Throat 




18 THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 

in men, although the author has never been able to verify the truth of this 
remark by anatomical dissections ; but to say the least of it, as may plainly 
be seen, by the accompanying illustration, (figure 18) it is far larger in both 
sexes than it is generally thought to be; and perhaps this will readily ac- 
count for the reason why it is so rarely fatigued or tired out, being able in 
many instances to wag from early morning until dewy evening, and too often 
I fear for the comfort of some people, from dewy evening until early morning. 

The Throat. 

The cavity of the mouth terminates in the pharynx or throat, which is 
some six or seven inches in length, and is lined with a delicate pale pink 
colored mucous membrane, which is gathered into numerous folds, to admit 
of its distension during the process of deglutition or swallowing. 

The throat contains great numbers of little thimble shaped mucous 
follicles, which secrete a large amount of white ropy mucous, designed to 
lubricate the parts, and prevent irritation and inflammation. 

The mucous membrane Hninsr the mouth and throat is continuous with 

o 

that lining the stomach and intestinal canal, and all parts of this membrane 
sympathize very closely with each other, in health and in disease. 

The lower end of the throat divides into two passages, one called the 
oesophagus or gullet, and the other the trachea or wind pipe. 

The Epiglottis. 
The epiglottis is about the size and shape of an apple tree leaf, and is 
composed of cartilaginous material, and that part of it which corresponds 
with the stem of the leaf, is attached to the upper end of the larynx, and 
base of the tongue. It is designed to bend down over, and close the upper 
end of the wind pipe when we swallow our food, preventing it from enter- 
ing the wind pipe, causing suffocation and death. 

The (Esophagus or Gullet. 
The oesophagus or gullet is a long elastic and cylindrical shaped tube, 
which commences at the termination of the throat, and passing downwards 
behind the wind pipe terminates in the stomach. It is composed of nu- 
merous elastic muscular fibres, which wind around it in different directions, 
enabling it to dilate and contract with wonderful facility, and down whose 
dark and narrow channel, scores of fat oxen, sheep, fish, flesh and fowl, 
cart loads of potatoes and bread, barrels of brandy, puncheons of beer, 
tons of tea and coffee, and rivers of water, are continually rushing into 
that abyss, from which they shall never return. 

Physiology of Deglutition. 
When the food has been well chewed, and mixed with the saliva in the 
mouth, it is then carried back to the base of the tongue, where it is grasp- 



THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 19 

ed by the muscles of the pharynx or throat, and forced on down through 
the oesophagus into the stomach. While the food is passing down the oeso- 
phagus into the stomach, the epiglottis bends down over the mouth of the 
wind pipe, closing the passage to the lungs, so that nothing can enter its 
cavity, and the moment we finish the process of swallowing, it rises up, 
opening the mouth of the wind pipe, so that we can breathe again. We 
breathe and swallow alternately, and not at the same time. When persons 
eat fast, and breathe and converse at the same time, they are in danger 
of suffocation and death ! When little boys and girls have to swallow a 
big bowlful of mush and milk in five minutes, in order that they may 
jump and run, and play, then the epiglottis has very lively work, to enable 
them to swallow as rapidly as they desire ! We shall often see how dan- 
gerous it is for any one to undertake to swallow and breathe at the same 
time, when we observe a number of dear good old ladies, who have assem- 
bled on some pleasant Summer afternoon, for the purpose of enjoying a 
little social chit chat over a cup of tea. After taking six or seven cups 
of good strong green tea, their tongues are apt to fly like a clapper ! Now, 
the author would not for the world insinuate that any of these ladies are 
intoxicated. Not a bit of it. They are only tea'd a little bit ! At all 
events, the tea has a wonderful influence over the spirit of the conversa- 
tion ! One dear good old lady is telling an amusing story — nothing about 
their neighbors ) no one dares insinuate anything of that kind. While 
talking, she draws in a long breath to carry on the conversation, and at 
the same time takes a big mouthful of strong tea, and as the tea rushes 
down the throat, it finds the epiglottis raised, and the windpipe open to 
allow the air to pass into the lungs, so into the windpipe it rushes along 
with her breath, causing a convulsive fit of coughing, and a feeling of suf- 
focation, and she gaspingly exclaims, " it has gone down the wrong way I" 

The author has frequently opened the upper end of the windpipe for 
the removal of glass beads, beans, peas, and grains of coffee, swallowed in 
this way, while at play, causing the greatest distress and danger ! 

The oesophagus or gullet, is sometimes contracted by disease or accident, 
so that nothing but liquid food can be swallowed. This disease can some- 
times be cured by systematic dilation of the parts with proper instruments. 



20 



THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 



LECTURE III. 

THE STOMACH AND LIVEE. 

The stomach and the liver are situated high up in the cavity of the abdo- 
men, beneath the midriff or diaphragm, as seen in figure (19) the liver 
Fig. 19. being located beneath 

the lower ribs and di- 
aphragm on the right 
side, and the stomach 
beneath the lower ribs 
and diaphragm on the 
left side, the liver over- 
lapping and partly con- 
cealing the stomach. 

Pain and tenderness 
or soreness beneath the 
lower ribs, and the di- 
aphragm of the right 
side, indicate disease 
of the liver; while 
pain, tenderness, or 
soreness beneath the 
diaphragm and lower 
ribs of the left side in- 
dicate disease of the 
stomach. 

The human stomach 
is conical in shape, and 
is bent upwards upon 
itself, and is divided 
into two extremities, 
the cardiac extremity, 
being located beneath 
the heart and the pylo- 
ric extremity beneath 
the liver. The stom- 
ach is also composed of 
three skins or coats, 

Cavity of the body containing A B the lungs, and H the heart, , . , - 

divided from the cavity of the abdomen, by D the diaphragm, G the tue OUlSlCie One 01 

liver, J the gall bladder, I the stomach partly covered by the liver, , . , . 11 j f i__ 

E the large intestines, F the small intestines. WUICU, IS caiieu. tue 




THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 



21 




peritoneal coat, the middle or muscular coat, and the internal coat, com- 
posed of a delicate mucous membrane which is continuous with the whole 
lining surface of the intestinal canal. 

The human stom- FlG - 20 - 

ach will contain on 
an average about 
three pints, but it 
is far larger in some 
persons than in oth- 
ers, in fact there is 
as much difference 
in the size of the 
stomach, between 
one person and an- 

, Cavity of the stomach, with the under surface of the liver B and C 

Other, as there is raised iip, exhibiting A the gall hladder and gall duct, uniting at D with 

. the duct of the pancreas, and emptying into the email intestine, called 

difference in the the duodenum. 

size of the brain ; and there is as much difference in the power to digest 
food, between one man and another as there is difference in intellectual 
power or moral feeling. 

Indeed it is very easy to determine the relative degree of power to di- 
gest food, between one person and another, on the slightest examination of 
the peculiarities of their organization A lady or a gentleman of pure 
nervous temperament, with a large brain, and great powers of thought, 
feeling and emotion, will usually have a small stomach, and comparatively 
little power to digest food In persons of a nervous temperament the 
brain is the strongest, and the stomach is the weakest part of their organ- 
ization, and if not unusually prudent in their diet and mode of living, they 
will constantly suffer with indigestion, and finally fall into premature de- 
cay. At best and when in good health, they have comparatively little 
power to digest food. When the late Horace Man, well known as the 
father of the American system of Common School education, and a gentle- 
man of pure nervous temperament, was dining with a number of distin- 
guished clergymen in New York City, being urged to eat beyond his 
capacity to digest, he exclaimed, "why, gentlemen ! if I were to eat as you 
do for a month, I would be dead in two weeks ! " 

Nervous temperaments have large brains and small stomachs ; great 
powers of thought, and little power to digest food. They are creatures 
of emotion, thought, feeling, or sentiment. Men and women of great in- 
tellectual power, and grand moral ideas ; men and women who originate 
and carry forward all great moral reforms, while others eat and sleep ! 

A lady or a gentleman of a purely lymphatic temperament, with a small 



22 THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 

head, a short pear-shaped nose, round face, and large abdomen, a sort of 
specimen of the human " Berkshire breed," — such temperaments possess 
enormous stomachs, and great power to digest food, with comparatively little 
power to think or feel. They usually prefer to hire ministers, lawyers, and 
doctors to think for them. They form no opinions on religion, morals or 
politics, and they despise agitators or reformers. Excitement makes them 
feel dizzy, and to think gives them the headache ! Such temperaments live 
to eat, and do not eat to live ! 

Sometimes we shall observe these two temperaments united in marriage, 
and what a fellow feeling and tender sympathy they manifest for each 
other, more especially at meal time. The wife, with her sharp features, 
and little, weak stomach, and feeble powers of digestion, nibbles away at 
a little dry cracker, or toast, and drinks a little very weak " cambric tea," 
or warm milk and water, sighs, feels weak, and is very nervous and ex- 
citable, complains that " no one knows how bad she feels," or how ill she 
is. While her husband, having filled his capacious stomach with pork, 
cabbage, dumplings, &c, wipes his mouth with his napkin, and surveys 
his poor miserable dyspeptic wife with disdain, and exclaims, " now, my 
dear, if you would only stop your eternal groaning and complaining, and 
eat like I do, then you could feel just as well !" Now, while you look at 
these two temperaments, you can realize the truth of the old saying, 
u what is one man's meat is another man's poison I" The lymphatic hus- 
band, with his enormous stomach, and great powers of digestion, can eat 
enough at a single meal to kill his poor wife if she takes a month at it ! 

Gastric Follicles. 

The human stomach contains great multitudes of little thimble shaped 

cavities, looking like the empty cells of a piece of honey comb, called the 

Fig. 21. gastric follicles, which secrete from the blood 

and pour into its cavity during digestion, a 



yJ^X; ' ^ large amount of fluid, called the gastric juice. 

: _ ' ij When carefully examined by the chemists 

«/ ; ? A ' 1 f this fluid is found to be composed of water, 

holding in solution a peculiar principle call- 
ed pepsin, and a little chlorohydric and lactic 

Gastric Follicles highly magnified, acids. 

This watery fluid is designed to soften, and then dissolve and digest all 
of the albuminous portions of our food, such as lean meat, cheese, milk, 
eggs, bread, and the glutinous portions of vegetables, fruits, &c, but it has 
no power to act upon starch, oils or fat. These substances are insoluble 
in the weak gastric juice, and can only be digested by the liver and pan- 
creas, as will be noticed still further along. 



the stomach and liver. 23 

Blood Vessels and Nerves of the Stomach. 

The stomach, receives a large amount of blood, out of which the gastric 
follicles secrete the gastric juice, to digest our food It also receives large 
branches of the eighth pair or pneumogastric nerves, with numerous 
branches from the solar plexus, and great sympathetic nerves, see figure (1 12) 

It is through these large nerves that the stomach derives its power/rom, 
the train to digest our food. When these nerves are divided in any of 
the lower animals, the secretion of the gastric juice is at once arrested, and 
the process of digestion suspended. 

Experiment shows that if we feed a number of dogs upon their usual 
food, and then having administered chloroform, divide the nerves of the 
stomach, and at the end of six, eight, ten and twenty-four hours we kill 
them and open their stomachs, their food will be found undigested. 

Many such experiments prove, that it is the brain which causes the 
gastric follicles to secrete the gastric juice to digest our food, and conse- 
quently anything which exhausts the brain, will impair the process of diges- 
tion Over exertion of the body, and over excitement of the mind, will soon 
exhaust the brain and nervous system, and bring on terrible indigestion, as 
may be seen in the following illustration. 

A man in perfect health while at dinner, and in the midst of a sumptuous 
repast, which he enjoys with a keen and vigorous appetite, receives a mes- 
sage announcing a terrible disaster to his family, or some great misfortune 
in business. The nervous excitement consequent upon this announcement, 
suddenly overwhelms his brain with exhaustion, causing a deadly palor 
and instant loss of appetite. Or perhaps having eaten a hearty dinner an 
hour before, and in the midst of perfect digestion, and in good health, a 
terrible accident occurs upon the rail-road, and while looking at the re- 
mains of the awful disaster, the scene transfixes him with horror. The ex- 
citement is soon followed by vertigo or dizziness, and nervous exhaustion, 
and this condition of the brain being reflected down along the eighth pair of 
nerves to the stomach, not only arrests, but often reverses the process of 
digestion, bringing on emesis or vomiting. 

Bemorse, anger, envy, jealousy, all of these mental perturbations and 
excitements, which exhaust the brain, diminish the secretions of the gastric 
juice, and produce an immense amount of disease of the organs of diges- 
tion. The manifestation of these passions not only endanger the souls, but 
they destroy the bodies of men. 

Melancholy, gloom and sorrow, fearfully depress and exhaust the brain 
and nervous system, and thus impair the powers of digestion and nutrition. 

For this reason it is a high moral duty to cultivate cheerfulness — to laugh 
and grow fat. Cheerfulness is a powerful tonic, invigorating the brain 
and nervous system, and promoting the secretion of the gastric juice, and 



24 THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 

aiding digestion. It is a sin and a shame, certain to be followed by its 
own punishment, for any human being to indulge in melancholy, gloom 
and sorrow. The manifestation of such feelings depress and exhaust the 
brain, decrease the secretion of gastric juice, and destroy digestion, mak- 
ing us grow thin, lean, dyspeptic and miserable. 

Now there are many good people who erroneously fancy that cheerful- 
fulness, mirthfulness and laughter, are vulgar, and their manifestation sin- 
ful, that they are akin to Satan, and closely allied to evil, and that such 
levity is indiscreet, and does not befit the Christian character ; that all 
good Christian people should never smile, except by accident, and then 
should look and feel as if they had committed an unpardonable sin. They 
think that Christians should always look serious, and "walk ''soberly," with 
a long face, and melancholy, bilious expression, groaning as if they were in 
pain, or suffering with a bilious attack ! 

A distinguished physician, living in Central New York, related the fol- 
lowing incident to the author. A young gentleman in fine health, and 
with an excellent constitution, having experienced religion, joined the 
church of which this worthy physician was a member. Having absurdly 
concluded that a member of a Christian church should never smile, or in- 
dulge in levity, but walk soberly, he drew on a long face, looked blue, and 
cultivated melancholy as a sort of moral and religious duty. Yery soon 
his robust health and vigorous constitution began to fail, and he grew thin, 
dyspeptic, and miserable. Said the doctor, " I gave him wine, bark, iron, 
and the usual round of tonics, but all in vain ! he grew melancholy, then 
despondent, and finally became insane, and hung himself!" 

After death, the physician examined his body to ascertain the cause 
of his death, and discovered no traces of organic disease, except atrophy 
of the heart, lungs and stomach. These organs had withered and shriv- 
elled to half their original size. Now, this man did not die of religion, 
but he " died of the blues !" 

Secretion of Gastric Juice. 

The human stomach is estimated to secrete about twelve pounds of gas- 
tric juice every twenty-four hours, which is sufficient to digest thirty-five 
ounces of animal and vegetable food. 

The powers of the human stomach are indeed prodigious ! The amount 
of food and drink introduced into the body through the action of this 
organ, would, if gathered together, far exceed the bounds of human cre- 
dibility. If we were to live to attain the age of Thomas Par, of England, 
to be one hundred and forty-five years old, and were to eat only thirty-five 
ounces of any animal and vegetable food each day, and drink two quarts 
of water and other fluids, then we should consume more than 100,000 
pounds of beef and bread, and more than 12,000 gallons of water; and 



THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 



25 



if we were to irink six cups of tea 
and coffee each day, we would re- 
quire more than 19,000 gallons of 
tea and coffee. 

Let any one visit any of the well 
stocked grocery stores along Market 
Street, and observe the endless varie- 
ty of materials drawn from the animal 
and vegetable kingdoms, to pamper 
the appetite of man, more especially 
in civilized life, and he will be lost 
in amazement. 

A slight glance 'round the shelves 
groaning beneath the productions of 
every clime, must compel us to admit 
that the powers of the human stomach 
are immense. 

These pickles and preserves, these 
spices and condiments, these Scandi- 
navian tongues, and Westphalian 
hams, and above all, these sausages 
of Bologna and Germany, are alone 
enough to poison the wolf, the vulture, 
the shark, and the jackal, and if they 
did not kill directly, these natural 
gourmands, they would most assured- 
ly people the air, the ocean, and the 
wild woods, with as exquisite dyspep- 
tics and perhaps hypochondriacs as 
ever paced Chestnut Street, or made 
the grand tour of any of our fashion- 
able watering places, under the de- 
lightful influences of that fashionable 
disease known as the " Blue Devils." 

The Duodenum. 
The food having been softened and 
reduced to a fine pulpy homogeneous 
mass, resembling flour paste, by the 
action of the salivary glands, the teeth, 
and the stomach, and its nitrogenous 
substances being digested, it is now 



Fig. 22. 




The Digestive Canal. 



26 THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 

sent forward through the pyloric valves, situated at the smallest extremity of 
the stomach, into the upper portion- of the small intestine, called the du- 
odenum. 

This -portion of the digestive canal is sometimes called the second stom- 
ach, and it is chiefly interesting as that portion of the digestive tube 
which receives the bile from the liver, and the pancreatic juice from the 
pancreas, see figure (20), and where the process of digestion is finally 
completed, by the conversion of the starchy substances of our food into 
■sugar, and the oily or fatty substances into a fatty emulsion, capable of 
1 being absorbed into the blood. 

The Liver. 

The liver is the largest gland in the human body, and it is the seat of 
some of the most important functions of animal life. It is of a reddish brown 
color, measuring about twelve inches in length, and six inches wide, and 
three inches in thickness, and weighs from three to four pounds. 

It is located high up in the cavity of the abdomen, beneath the lower 
ribs and the midriff of the right side, and opposite the stomach, which it 
partly overlaps, see figure (19). It is concerned in the secretion of a 
thin yellowish brown fluid, of a bitter taste, and slightly alkaline reaction, 
called bile. 

The liver is composed of a great multitude of blood vessels, nerves, ab- 
sorbents, and bile ducts, all united together by a granular substance, and 
covered with a thin serous membrane. In one respect the liver is peculiar 
and differs from any other organ in the body It receives two kinds of 
blood, arterial or red blood, from the hepatic artery, to nourish its sub- 
stance, and dark venous blood, from the portal vein, out of which it se- 
cretes the bile. 

The bile ducts originate in minute branches in the interior of the liver, 
and uniting together, see figure (22), chey empty into the gall bladder un- 
der the liver. The gall bladder is shaped like a pear with its largest 
extremity hanging downwards, a little below the lower edge of the liver 
as seen in figure (20). 

When our food has been reduced by the action of the saliva, the teeth, 
and the gastric juice, to a soft pulpy consistence resembling flour paste, then 
it is discharged from the stomach into the duodenum, and when it reaches 
the mouth of the gall duct, it stimulates the gall bladder to action, caus- 
ing its fibrous coats to contract and pour out the bile into the duodenum, 
where it mixes with the food, and at once converts its oily or fatty sub- 
stances into a creamy emulsion, fitted to be absorbed into the blood. 

It will be observed, (see fig. 19,) that the bile is not poured into the 
stomach, as many people imagine, but into the duodenum, some six or 



THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 27 

seven inches below the stomach. If this fact, that the bile did not enter 
the stomach, was generally known by the masses of mankind, what a pow- 
erful influence it would have on the price of " autibilious physic," man- 
drake pills, &c. How many unfortunate people have had to take cart 
loads of pills and physic, to cleanse the bile out of the stomach, when it 
does not go into it. Not much more than half of the old routine physi- 
cians themselves know whether the bile empties into the stomach or small 
intestine below the stomach, and when their patients eat and drink too 
much, they are said to be bilious, and they puke and physic them ! No 
bile can be introduced into the stomach, except when the action of the 
stomach and intestines is reversed, as seen in the act of vomiting, &c. 

The Pancreas. 

The pancreas is a long, narrow, flat, pale pink-colored gland, situated 
behind the stomach, and in its structure and functions closely resembles 
the salivary glands about the mouth. The pancreatic duct originates in 
the interior of this gland, and after extending its whole length, finally 
empties into the duodenum, opposite the cystic duct coming from the gall 
bladder, (see fig. 20.) 

The pancreatic juice secreted by the pancreas, is a clear colorless fluid, 
very alkaline in its reaction, and contains a peculiar principle called pan- 
creatin, which exerts a powerful influence in the digestion of starch, oils, 
fat, and other substances not digested by the salivary glands, stomach, &c. 

Physiology op Digestion. 

As already shown, the process of digestion is very complicated. It 
commences in the mouth, where the food is crushed by the teeth, and then 
throughly mixed with the saliva, and reduced to a soft, pulpy mass, and 
fitted to be swallowed into the stomach. The saliva acts as a kind of fer- 
ment, converting its starch into sugar, and then changing it into lactic 
acid, to aid digestion, after the food has been swallowed into the stomach. 

When the food reaches the stomach, it acts as a healthy stimulus, in- 
creasing the flow of blood into the blood-vessels of the stomach, causing 
the gastric juice to be secreted in large quantities, which, when brought 
in contact with the food, attacks its albuminous materials, such as lean 
meat, eggs, milk, cheese, the gluten of bread, vegetables, &c, and soon 
reduces them to a fine, pulpy mass, of a grey color, and slightly sour to 
the sense of taste. The oil, starch, and fat, now being set free by the 
digestion of the delicate cell membranes, of the little cells which contain 
them, and not being acted upon by the gastric juice, the starch and fat 
globules are mixed with the digested food, and sent forward through the 
pyloric valve into the duodenum. 



28 THE STOMACH AND LIVER. 

When the food reaches the cavity of the duodenum, it communicates a 
healthy stimulus to the liver and the pancreas, causing these organs to 
secrete and pour out into the cavity of the duodenum, large quantities of 
bile and pancreatic juice. These fluids being strongly alkaline, at once 
attack the oils and fat, and quickly convert them into a saponaceous emul- 
sion, while the pancreatine of the pancreatic juice, digests the remaining 
portions of starch converting them into sugar so that they may be easily 
absorbed into the blood. It is well known that starch and oils cannot be 
absorbed until digested by the action of the bile and pancreatic juices, and 
it will be noticed that the liver is a large and powerful organ, and only 
second to the stomach in aiding to digest our food. Bile is then secreted 
for the purpose of completing the process of digestion, and when the liver 
becomes diseased, and bile is not secreted, then oils and fats are digested 
with great difficulty. 

Starch and oils, or fat, are the last and most difficult to digest of all 
kinds of food. It is only when brought into contact with these strongly 
alkaline fluids, that they are finally digested, the starch being converted 
into sugar by the action of the pancreatic juice. Sugar does not require 
any digestion, being capable of absorption without any change directly 
into the blood, where it may be found in large quantities. 



NUTRITION. 



29 



LECTURE IV. 
NUTEITION. 

Our food, having been well digested by the action of the salivary glands, 
the teeth, stomach, liver and pancreas, and being reduced to a soft creamy- 
substance, is then sent forward into the small intestine. 

The small intestine is situated in Ym. 23. 

the centre of the cavity of the abdo- 
men, and is about twenty-five feet in 
length, and is divided into two por- 
tions, the upper part of which is 
much the thickest, and is called the 
jejunum, and the lower portion is 
called the ilium. The small intestine 
is chiefly interesting, in a practical 
point of view, as being the seat of 
nutritive absorption. The mucous 
membrane lining the small intestine, 
is about five times as extensive as its 
outside surface, causing it to be ga- 
thered into numerous folds, which 
serve to diminish the rapidity with 
which our food passes through its 
cavity, and at the same time greatly 

increasing the Surface for the absorp- „ Small and Large Intestines 
° x G Ascending Colon ; D Trans 

tion of nourishment. 

When the lining surface of the small intestine is carefully examined 
by means of a magnifying glass, it is 
seen to be covered with a great multi- 
tude of little conical elevations call- 
ed villi, from their fancied resem- 
blance to delicate piles on the sur- 
face of a piece of velvet. These 
little villi are about one-third of a 
line in length, and are covered with 
a reflection of the delicate pink 
colored mucous membrane lining 
the intestinal canal. They contain 
a delicate net work of blood vessels, 
and the commencement of the lac- 
teal absorbents. 
3 




F Small Intestine; 
Transverse Colon ; E De- 
scending Colon ; C the Rectum. 



Fig. 24. 




A piece of small Intestine inverted. 



30 



NUTRITION. 



Fig. 25. 



The lacteal absorbents originate in the villi of the small intestine, and 
passing through numerous little pink colored glands, located behind the 
small intestine, terminate in a sac in front of the spine, called the recepta- 
cle for the chyle. 

The thoracic duct is about the size of a common quill, and extends from 

the upper extremity of the 
receptacle of the chyle, up 
along the front of the spine, 
until it reaches the upper 
end of the sternum, or 
breast bone, where it bends 
downwards and enters the 
lower end of the jugular 
vein, at the left side of the 
root of the neck. 

Lacteal Absorption. 
Our food having been 
well digested in the upper 
portion of the intestinal 
canal by the action of the 
saliva, the gastric juice, and 
biliary and pancreatic fluids, 
is then distributed along the 
lining surface of the small 
intestine, its progress being 
retarded by the numerous 
folds of mucous membrane, 
and being brought in con- 
tact with the villi, it stimu- 
lates them to action, causing 
them to absorb its nutritive 
substances, while the innu- 
tritious materials are sent 
forward into the large intes- 
tine, and soon expehed from 
the body. 

The villi having absorbed 
the nourishment from our 
food, it is collected by the 

A section of the cavity of the chest and abdomen, showing lacteal ducts, and Carried 
the lacteal absorbents terminating in the receptacle for the £ , , . . 

chyle, and the thoracic duct, terminating in the jugular vein. IOrward. tnrOUgU tne lacteal 

glands into the receptacle for the chyle (as seen in figure 25.) 




NUTRITION. 



31 



The Lacteal Glands. 

These little almond shaped bodies are about the size of a pea, and are 

situated behind the small intestine. They sometimes become enlarged and 

diseased in persons of a strumous or scrofulous constitution. While the 

Fig. 26. Fig. 27. 

;n -si rr: _ 




Cavity of a lacteal gland. Formation of chyle corpuscles, 

by the lacteal glands. 

chyle or nourishment absorbed from our food is passing through these lit- 
tle pink colored bodies, located behind the small intestine, it stimulates 
them to action, causing them to form and cast off great multitudes of little 1 
round cracker shaped bodies, called chyle corpuscles, (as seen in figure 27.)' 
These little chyle corpuscles which have been formed in countless mul- 
titudes by the lacteal glands, and cast off into the current of the chyle, or 
nourishment absorbed from our food while it is passing through their cav- 
ities, will at once begin to absorb nourishment from the chyle in which 



Fig. 28. 



they float, and growing larger 
they rapidly change in color and 
shape. 

When first formed by the lac- 
teal glands the chyle corpuscles 
are of a milky white color, and 
as they ascend the cavity of the 
thoracic duct, they assume a pale 
pink color, and when they finally 
reach the upper end of the thor- 
acic duct and enter the jugular 
vein, they become bright red, and 
are then called blood cells or blood 
corpuscles. The formation of 
blood cells out of the food we 

A fresh chyle corpuscle seen at the lower, soon de- 
eat, is the first Step in the pro- veloped into blood cells, seen above . 

cess of organization, or the conversion of our food into living animal tissues. 
Disease of the Lacteal Glands. 

In persons of a strumous or scrofulous constitution, especially children, 
the lacteal glands often become enlarged by the deposit of grey cheesy, 
tubercular matter, as often seen in the lungs and other organs in consump- 




32 NUTRITION. 

tion. When these little glands become enlarged and their cavities filled 
with scrofulous matter, the lacteal ducts are obstructed, and the blood be- 
comes thin and impoverished for want of nourishment, producing that 
terrible disease called marasmus, or "wasting disease," or "consumption of 
the blood." 

When these little glands become enlarged and obstructed, the chyle 
which has been absorbed from our food cannot circulate through them, 
and the blood cells cannot be formed out of its albuminous materials, and 
the food though well digested cannot be assimilated or converted into blood 
to repair the waste, and build up the tissues and organs of the body. 

When persons are afflicted with this terrible disease, the appetite is of- 
ten excessive or morbid, the food which is eaten and perhaps digested, 
cannnot be assimilated or converted into blood, and so satisfy the cravings 
of hunger ; the whole body becomes thin and feeble, the blood poor, the 
extremities cold, the eyes hollow or sunken, the countenance pinched, the 
skin shrivelled, and the unhappy victim of this disease dies with all the 
indications of starvation. 

Marasmus, or consumption of the blood, is often caused by want of suf- 
ficient food among the children of the poor, or by nursing sickly, scrofu- 
lous, unhealthy mothers, by the use of unwholesome and indigestible food, 
by want of sun light, and pure air. It is a scrofulous disease, and is 
caused by all those habits which tend to impair the process of nutrition. 

A few years ago, Mr. Guerin of Paris, was authorized by the French 
Academy of Medicine to experiment, and ascertain if he could not pro- 
duce scrofula at will upon many of the lower animals. Having selected 
a number of healthy young rabbits, pigs and puppies, he ascertained that 
by overfeeding or by underfeeding them, or by feeding them upon crude 
indigestible, and unwholesome food, not adapted to their weak and delicate 
organs of digestion, and by confinement in impure air, and in badly lighted 
quarters, they soon became diseased and scrofulous, with enlargement of 
all of the glands of their bodies, caused by impaired nutrition, or want 
of assimilation, from inability to digest and convert this strong food into 
blood cells, to repair the waste, and build up all of the worn out tissues 
and organs. 

By far the most common cause of scrofula among children is the use 
of indigestible and unwholesome food, such as can only be digested by 
strong, healthy men and women. Many persons fancy that scrofula is 
always hereditary. Now this is true in many instances, but far more fre- 
quently this disease comes from the kitchen than from either of the parents. 
It is a disease of debility, and depends upon impoverishment of the blood. 

When we look at pale puny little children, it will not be very difficult 
for us to determine what kind of food they eat ; and why they look so 



NUTRITION. 33 

stunted, and do not grow, many of them looking like little old men and 
women. They are either half starved, as sometimes happens among the 
children of the poor, when they do not get sufficient food, or the food they 
eat is too strong, heavy and indigestible, as often happens among the 
children of the wealthy, so that their weak and feeble digestive organs 
cannot digest and convert it into healthy blood, to develop their withered 
and feeble bodies. 

In diet as in all other matters, "extremes meet," and the children of the 
wealthy who are fed on strong food, or who are over fed, often look like and 
suffer with the same diseases which afflict the children of poverty and want. 

The lacteal glands often become enlarged and obstructed in adults, im- 
pairing the process of assimilation and nutrition, causing great waste of 
flesh, debility and exhaustion. "When afflicted with this disease they will 
often be tormented with enormous appetites, and constant craving for food, 
eating at frequent intervals great quantities of food, and yet always hun- 
gry, and looking thin and emaciated, continually complaining of sinking 
sensations, often bed ridden or unable to sit up but for short periods, and 
still eat heartily, and finally dying of exhaustion, with all of the indica- 
tions of starvation. 

The Large Intestine. 

The large intestine is about twenty -five feet in length, and is divided into 
the' coecum, the ascending colon G-; the transverse colon D; and the de- 
scending colon E, with its sigmoid flexure, and the rectum C, (see figure 23.) 

The coecum is a kind of blind pouch, situated in the lower portion of 
the right side of the cavity of the abdomen, into which the small intestine 
terminates, forming a kind of valve called the illio-ccecal valve. Attached 
to the lower end of the coecum is a curious worm like appendage called 
the appendix vermiformis. 

The colon is the longest portion of the large intestine, and is divided 
into three parts, the ascending colon, which is situated in the right side 
of the cavity of the abdomen, the transverse colon, which crosses over be- 
neath the stomach' and liver to the left side, and the descending colon, sit- 
uated in the left side of the abdominal cavity, and which forms at its lower 
extremity a curious curvature called the sigmoid flexure, from its fancied 
resemblance to the letter S. 

The rectum or lower portion of the large intestine is about eight inches 
in length, and is situated in front of the lower portion of the spine, and is 
much thicker and stronger than the other portions of the digestive canal. 
It is composed of thick strong coats of muscular fibres, and is lined with 
a mucous membrane, and contains numerous arteries and veins forming a 



34 



NUTRITION. 



very intricate network near the lower end called the hemorrhoidal plexus. 
When these blood vessels become enlarged at the lower end of the rectum, 
they produce that painful disease known as hemorrhoids or piles. 



Fig. 29. 



Piles. 

When the blood vessels of the 
lower portion of the rectum be- 
come enlarged, (as seen in figure 
29) they may produce two varieties 
of piles, called external piles, when 
they are situated outside of the 
sphincter muscle, which closes the 
mouth of the bowel, and when 
they are situated inside of the 
mouth of the bowel they are call- 
ed internal piles. In many instances 
both varieties may be found to exist 
in the same person. 

Internal Piles. 



Internal piles are usually divided 
into three varieties. Sometimes 
they exist in the form of soft, 
spongy vascular growths, having a 
red granular appearance. While a 
second variety is made up of small 

The above cut represents the lower part of the ■, i p • n , i i i 

rectum laid open, bringing the piles into view. DrancneS 01 Veins 01 the lower DOW- 

SiL C o7SJ^7tSL be ° bBenred,of ealar s edveins el or rectum, dilated and filled with 
fluid, or coagulated blood. A third variety consists of pendulous tumors, 
arising from the inside of the rectum. Internal piles at first may only 
protrude from the mouth of the bowel, when the bowels move, but after 
a while the sphincter muscle, which closes the opening of the bowel, may 
become dilated from the pressure of the piles above, and relaxed by the 
frequent attacks of bleeding, so that the piles remain down all the time, 
save when the person is lying down. When they only appear externally 
at the time the bowels are moved, they should be immediately replaced 
after each stool. If this precaution be not observed, they will soon be- 
come congested and inflamed by the contraction of the sphincter muscle, 
causing great pain and suffering. 

The amount of bleeding in internal piles varies from a mere tinging of 
the stools to the loss of several ounces at a time. Sometimes these losses 




NUTRITION. 



35 



of blood seem to occur periodically, and serve to relieve the congestion of 
the liver, and other internal organs. In fact, the presence of piles usually 
indicates some disease of the liver, or other internal organ of the body. 
They produce great uneasiness and pain, low down across the spine, be- 
tween the hips, irritability of the bladder, with annoying mucous dischar- 
ges, and frequent losses of blood ; and it is. not surprising that persons 
afflicted with them soon become thin, sallow, and bloodless. 



Fig 




External Piles. 

External piles consist of a knot of enlarged 
veins around the mouth of the bowel, (as seen 
in figure 30.) When they first appear, these 
knots of enlarged veins are filled with fluid 
blood, which soon becomes coagulated, forming 
one or more tense, painful, purple swellings. 
In this form of external piles great relief may 
be immediately obtained by opening the piles, 
and sqeezing out the coagulated blood. 

External Piles, exhibiting the 
CAUSES OF PILES. Enlarged Hemorrhoidal Veins, pro- 

truding from the anus. 

This painful disease is not often met with before the middle period of 
life, and it is far more common in women than men. Piles are caused by 
sedentary habits and confined employments, habitual constipation and all 
diseases that retard the return of blood from the lower bowel to the heart, 
such as disease of the liver, &c, straining at stools, the use of drastic pur- 
gatives, high living, and long residence in tropical climates. 

Cure of Piles. 

For the cure of internal as well as external piles, it is of great import- 
ance to remove and prevent congestion of the liver, and other abdominal 
organs, to insure a healthy action of the bowels, and to attend to the state 
of the general health. The rectum or lower bowel should be emptied, by 
the injection of half a pint of cold water, night and morning, and then some 
sedative and astringent ointment carefully introduced into the inside of the 
lower bowel, by means of a suitable instrument adapted to that purpose, 
as the action of the sphincter muscle, which contracts and closes the mouth 
of the bowel, will not admit of that being accomplished in any other way. 
Pile ointments may be composed of tannin and belladonna, or opium, 
carbolic acid, &c, according to the requirements of each particular case. 
Little difficulty has been experienced by the author in the cure of the worst 
cases of piles treated in this way for a short time. 



36 



NUTRITION. 




Fig. 31. It will be found impossible, without the aid of a suita- 

ble instrument, to apply any astringent ointment to the 
inside of the rectum, in order to effect a permanent cure, 
by reducing the size of the enlarged veins. Ointments 
and washes applied to the outside do not reach the seat 
of the disease, and can only palliate and relieve pain. By 
means of Dr. Gleason's pile pipe any one can easily apply 
any soothing and astringent ointment to the seat of the 
disease inside the rectum, and soon effect a permanent cure 
in the worst cases. 

This useful little instrument consists of an ointment 

pipe, about three inches long, perforated with several 

openings, to admit of the free escape of the ointment, and 

|j]k a screw plugger, which forces the ointment out through 

the openings when in use. 

Constipation of the Bowels. 
This disease is usually produced by torpor and inactiv- 
ity of the muscular coats of the colon, or large intestine, 
'or some painful affection of the rectum, such as piles, or 
Pile Pipe. fissure of the anus, or debility of the muscular walls of 
the abdomen, so that they cease to contract, and assist the movements of 
the intestines, or it may depend upon disease of the nervous system, or 
disease of the liver, pancreas, or glands of the small intestine, causing a 
disordered or deficient secretion of bile, &c. By far the most prominent 
cause is torpor of the muscular walls of the colon, producing imperfect 
contraction of this part of the large intestine, loss of sensibility, and ac- 
cumulation of large quantities of fecal matter. This condition of the 
colon often occurs in old people, and others enfeebled by exhausting dis- 
ease, or among the votaries of fashion, accustomed to indolent and luxu- 
rious habits, or persons of sedentary or confined lives, and those who 
neo-lect to attend to the requirements of their own nature. The costive 
habit may, in fact, be easily acquired by little children early in life ne- 
glecting to attend to the indications and wants of their own nature, as 
they should be carefully taught to do at the same hour immediately after 
the morning meal. This is a most important and never to be' neglected 
duty, that every intelligent mother will not allow to be neglected on the 
part of her children, if she values their health and happiness in after life. 
The habit once acquired of having a movement of the bowels after the 
morning meal, will soon become confirmed as a kind of " second nature," 
and continue all through life, greatly contributing to health and longevity. 
Constipation soon causes a defective appetite, slow and imperfect diges- 



NUTRITION. 37 

tion, headache, palpitation of the heart, hypochondria, a pale, soft, flabby 
tongue, flatulence, fetid breath, a dingy, sallow skin and complexion, with 
dark lines under the eyelids, melancholy, low spirits, &c, produced by the 
reabsorption of the poisonous excrementitious matters into the blood, which 
should have been expelled by the bowels from the system. Sometimes 
vast quantities of foecal matter will accumulate in the large intestine, and 
may easily be felt through the walls of the abdomen, resembling a large 
abdominal tumor, for which it has often been mistaken. 

Cure of Constipation. 

For the cure of habitual constipation, the first thing to be accomplished 
is to get rid of strong purgative drugs, like the mischievous mandrake, and 
blue pills, and the substitution of mild aperients. This cannot often be 
accomplished at once, but gradually. No remedy will cure constipation, 
unless careful attention be paid to the diet. It is of the first importance 
that the food should be wholesome and digestible. Vegetables are laxa- 
tive, but often cause flatulency, and are objectionable on that account. 
Cooked fruits may often be used as a substitute, eaten as a part of the 
morning meal, and without sugar. Figs or prunes steeped in olive oil, 
may be eaten on an empty stomach, early in the morning. Or they may be 
prepared by drying them thoroughly, and then removing the dust, and 
steeping them in senna tea, until they become moist, when they may be 
redried, and kept for a long time, and eaten one or two at a time, early 
in the morning on an empty stomach. A small glass of soda water, or a 
glass of the fluid citrate of magnesia, may be taken in the same way as an 
admirable laxative. Oatmeal mush, or porridge, for breakfast, is regard- 
ed by many as a specific for the cure of this disease j while others prefer 
cracked wheat mush, or Graham bread, made of coarse unbolted wheat 
meal. This must be carefully prepared by thorough cooking, or the out- 
side part of the wheat, so rich in gluten and fatty matter, will not be sol- 
uble in the weak gastric juice of an enfeebled stomach. Boil the cracked 
wheat mush three or four hours, cooking the outward covering of the 
wheat until it is soft and tender, and then eat with a little cream or milk 
for breakfast. 

All persons of costive habit should exercise daily in the open air, either 
on foot or,horseback, as one of the most important remedies. General 
indolence must be carefully avoided. Drink a glass of cold water, and 
retire to bed at ten ; rise at seven, wash the skin with tepid water, then 
rub freely with a coarse towel, drink a glass of soda or Congress water, or 
half a glass of the fluid citrate of magnesia. Knead the walls of the ab- 
domen gently with your hands and fingers, then exercise for three quarters 



38 NUTRITION. 

of an hour in the open air, and breakfast upon bread, milk, cooked fruit, 
meat, &c., and immediately after breakfast solicit the action of the bowels. 
Do this at the same hour every day, and in a great majority of instances 
it will prove a cure for habitual constipation. After the costive habit has 
been broken up, to restore tone to the colon, various tonics may be used 
with great advantage, such as quinine and mix vomica, or the diluted 
nitro muriatic acid, &c. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 39 



LECTURE V. 
HOW TO ACQULKE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION 

Having studied the structure, nature and uses of the organs concerned 
in digesting our food, we shall be enabled to understand the natural laws 
which govern their growth, and maintain their healthy action. 

It has often been said, that "knowledge is power," and it is truly so, 
just in proportion as we are capable of applying our information to some 
useful purpose, such for instance as the improvement of our moral, physical 
and intellectual condition. That knowledge is most useful which contrib- 
utes most to the promotion of our welfare and happiness. What then are 
the natural laws or conditions upon which the growth and healthy action 
of our digestive organs depend ? 

1st. It is a natural law that the wants of our bodies limit the powers 
of digestion. The gastric follicles can only secrete sufficient gastric juice 
to digest what food the human body requires, and if a larger amount is 
eaten, it will not digest, but will undergo the process of fermentation and 
decay, filling the intestinal canal with, putrid, decaying animal and vegetable 
substances, which irritate the delicate mucous membrane lining the intes- 
tinal canal, often causing inflammation and ulceration, and other painful 
diseases. 

For this reason it becomes important for us to study and understand 
what quantity of food is required to secure the most perfect health of the 
organs of digestion, and the highest intellectual, moral and physical devel- 
opments. No man, however well inclined he may be to do right, can be 
reasonable, moral or religious in his conduct upon subjects which he does 
not study and understand. It is only for this reason that the great major- 
ity of even the Christian Church, are yet living in a state of perfect bar- 
barism, in all that'relates to the moral duty of subjecting their own appe- 
tites to the dominion of conscience. 

Many experiments and observations have been made with the view of 
determining the quantity of food required by a healthy man, to maintain 
the most perfect health, and to manifest the greatest physical power, and 
intellectual and moral activity. Numerous carefully conducted exper- 
iments and observations, have been made by British army and navy sur- 
geons, and it has been concluded that while in active service, a man requires 
about 35 ounces of dry animal and vegetable food daily, in order to secure 
the greatest strength and most perfect health. 



40 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

Of this amount ten ounces should be animal, and twenty-five ounces 
vegetable matter, consisting of bread, peas, beans, &c. The introduction 
of this diet scale in the British army and navy, is said to be attended with 
the most remarkable success in diminishing the numbers upon the sick list. 

The training of men for pugilistic and gladiatorial contests, and for the 
display of great feats of physical strength, shows that our ordinary diet 
scale may be reduced with the greatest advantage. Indeed, were it true 
that strength depended upon the amount of food consumed, then the vul- 
ture would be stronger than the eagle, the jackal than the lion, and the 
gourmand than the temperate and abstemious man ! Gluttony is synony- 
mous with weakness, idleness and stupidity ! When the vulture, jackal, 
and their scarcely more human brother, the inebriate and the glutton, have 
gorged themselves to repletion, their whole vital energies, at least for a 
time, will be expended in digesting their food. The vulture seeks his moun- 
tain lair, the jackal his den, while the glutton, stupid with feasting, and 
drunk with wine, seeks his easy arm chair, where, overcome with lethargy, 
he expends his nervous energies in stupid and inglorious repose ! 

The amount of food required will depend first, upon our age, second, 
upon temperature, and third, upon our activity. We require more food 
in proportion to our size and weight, in infancy, more in cold than in warm 
weather, and more when active than when inactive. But how few stop 
to inquire, of a cultivated mind and enlightened conscience, how much 
food they should eat, in order that they may attain the highest degree of 
physical, intellectual and moral culture ! 

Human beings are not strong and healthy in proportion to the amount 
of food they eat. Over eating is one of the greatest evils in civilized life. 
How few are really " temperate in all things." It has been shown that 
the brain is the source of all power, and that it digests our food, and when 
we eat more than is required for health, the brain will be overworked while 
striving to digest the excess of food which we have eaten, causing stupid, 
heavy feelings, and disinclination to engage in the active duties of a stir- 
ring and useful life. All gluttons are torpid, feeble and indolent. The 
same is true of the lower animals. When the anaconda has gorged him- 
self to repletion, he becomes stupid and sleepy, and remains in a torpid 
condition for many days. When the brave eagle has gorged himself with 
his prey, he becomes torpid and heavy, and so descends into the dark 
silent valley, where he perches himself upon the limbs of the dead forest 
oak, and closes his eyes in sleep, until his food is digested, and when 
hunger returns, he spreads his sail broad wings, and mounts upwards, 
and so bathes and strengthens his form in the pure balmy light of the 
sun ! 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 41 

The same melancholy spectacle is often exhibited by human beings. Hav- 
ing gorged themselves with pork, cabbage and sour apple dumplings, and 
baked beans, corn bread, and other heavy indigestible substances, washing 
it down with copious libations of beer, wine and whiskey, all of the ener- 
gies of the brain will be required to digest it, leaving little or no nervous 
force to be expended in thought, reason and reflection. No wonder such 
persons complain of feeling sleepy and stupid after eating, thinking they 
are " bilious " and have the "yellow jaundice in the blood," &c. 

The same melancholy spectacle may often be seen in church, when peo- 
ple make gluttons of themselves, and wickedly violate the laws of healthy 
digestion, and irreverently sleep through the whole of the service, thinking 
the sermon very dull and the minister in his dotage, because his eloquence 
fails to digest their enormous dinners. When we observe a poor clergyman 
laboring with a congregation in this stupid lethargic condition, with their 
stomachs full of all manner of unclean things, pork, cabbage and baked 
beans, and strong coffee for breakfast, and cold ham, turkey and gristle for 
dinner, whose brains and nervous energies are fully taxed to digest what 
they have eaten, and whose mental and moral natures are overwhelmed 
with stupidity and lethargy, we are reminded of an incident in the life 
of the great Emperor Napoleon . While in Egypt he besieged a fortress built 
out of nothing but mud and dirt. In vain his shells and shot plunged and 
plunged into the side of this mud fortress. There it stood a great impassive 
mound of nothing but mud and dirt. He could neither burn down mud, 
nor batter down dirt, and so it resisted all of his terrible assaults. Many an 
eloquent preacher with a congregation in this drowsy, stupid, lethargic 
condition, has had a similar experience. Though his lips be tipped with 
divine fire from on high, and he pours forth his thoughts in words that 
seem to live, and move and breathe, it is all in vain. He must not only sow 
the good seed, but the ground must be prepared for its reception, other- 
wise it will not take root. No doubt the worthy clergyman, inspired by 
the enthusiasm of the occasion, fancies he is addressing brains and mind, 
but it is a cruel mistake, for in many instances it is nothing but ham, and 
turkey and gristle. No wonder there are so few surrenders among those 
who listen to him, there is no eloquence, no matter how gifted the orator 
may be, which is adequate to fire such materials with sentiment, emotion and 
divine love. 

Within mankind are combined the appetites of a brute and the attributes 
of an angel, and when these meet in solemn council to make up the role 
of a man's destiny for time, as well as for eternity, shall it be said of him 
that he allows his appetite to hound out the seraph ? 

Is it not amazing that man invited by the exalted pleasures of his in- 
tellect, and the sacred sentiments of his heart, to a banquet which is wor- 



42 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

thy of the gods, should stoop by the way side to feed upon garbage, and to 
drink from out the Circean cup which transforms us all into beasts. How 
many brilliant scintillations of wit, and poetry and pathos, how many 
glorious ideas and heaven born inspirations, have all been extinguished 
and lost, while the brain was laboring to digest young onions, radishes and 
garbage. Because a man has a few animal appetites which must be grati- 
fied that he may live, shall he become all animal, an inebriate, a debauchee, 
a sensualist and a glutton? 

Rather let him eat in moderation that he may live, and let him live, that 
he may cultivate and develop his glorious intellectual faculties and moral 
sentiments to their highest capacity. 

Men sometimes assure us that they "can digest anything" and it is 
doubtless true of some persons, who do not exercise their brains and facul- 
ties upon anything but what they eat and drink, and who were never guilty 
of a single thought in all their lives, a sort of human grubs, eating only 
that they may exist. 

No man can eat unwholesome food who spends much of his time and 
his brain power and nervous force in profound thought, reason and reflec- 
tion, without causing disease of the stomach and organs of digestion. All 
men and women of literary habits and scientific pursuits, can eat but little 
food, and digest that which is most wholesome. Gluttony clips the wings 
of the intellect and debases the moral nature. 

Overfeeding Young Children. 

It is frequently supposed by many that excessive fatness is indicative of 
high health. The premature death of many young children may be traced 
to this fatal mistake. How often ignorant mothers overfeed their little 
children to make them grow fast, until they become so fat they can scarcely 
see out of their eyes ! When a child, fed in this way becomes like a fat 
ox, a burden to itself, all of the mother's friends observe "what a healthy 
child !" Such children rarely live to attain the age of manhood. By far 
the largest majority sicken and die of inflammatory disease of the digestive 
organs. The greatest mortality in infancy is to be found among this class 
of fat healthy children. They die of cholera infantum, and inflammatory 
affections, followed by effusion of water on the brain, &c. When the poor 
child sickens or cries out under this stuffing process, the poor ignorant 
mother thinks it cries because it is hungry, and stuffs it the more, and when 
its poor little stomach becomes so full it runs over, and the food runs down 
the corners of the child's mouth, the mother scoops it up with a spoon, 
and crams it down again ! 

This natural preparation (holding up a child's stomach, about as large 
as an egg) shows you the size of the child's stomach at birth. It will not 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 43 

contain, as you will observe, more than one or two tablespoonfuls at a time, 
and yet the fond mother would think her young infant " would starve to 
death," if it did not eat at least a teacupful of "cracker stuff!" Is it 
strange under such circumstances, that its stomach is often out of order, and 
that it "wants a little magnesia or catnip tea to sweeten it;" that it be- 
comes cross and irritable, that it has fits and convulsions, and infantile 
cholera, and other diseases so destructive of human life ? The only won- 
der is, that such children do not all die. If they had not prodigious vital 
and recuperative powers they must all perish ! 

Now, when parents murder their own children in this way, they try to 
console themselves and relieve their consciences from all responsibility, by 
laying all of the blame upon the shoulders of Divine Providence, when, in 
reality, the parents alone are responsible for the death of their own chil- 
dren ! Indeed, it is high time in this enlightened age, that parents should 
be taught that the great and good Creator holds them strictly accountable 
for the preservation of the health of their children. The position of mo- 
ther involves the greatest responsibilities, and the highest and noblest du- 
ties, and if not qualified by thorough physical, mental and moral training 
and education to discharge these duties properly, hard indeed will be the 
fate of her unfortunate offspring ! 

Digestibility of different kinds of Food. 
We are told that " bread is the staff of life," and so it is when properly 
prepared. All physiologists and chemists agree that good wheat bread is 
among the most wholesome and nourishing of all kinds of food. The best 
bread is made without fermentation, and out of good coarse flour, containing 
all of its nutritious qualities, all of its carbonates, nitrates, and phosphates, 
all of its brain, muscle, bone and fat forming qualities. To make good unfer- 
mented bread, the coarse wheat flour should be mixed with water and a 
little salt, and baked in small loaves in cast iron bread pans, known as 
"Wisconsin basins." The oven and pans should be hot, the dough made 
of the ordinary consistence, and the pans filled half full When placed 
in hot pans, and put in a hot oven, the heat coagulates the gluten on the 
outside surface of the dough, and prevents the steam from escaping, causes the 
bread to raise in a moment, and if the oven is sufliciently hot, it bakes 
before the steam escapes, and remains light and wholesome. This is the 
sweetest, most nourishing and wholesome, of all kinds of bread, and is 
easily made with half the labor required in making good yeast bread. 
Few persons have any idea of the chemical nature and action of yeast 
upon flour in the manufacture of bread. They do not understand that 
yeast is nothing more nor less than fermenting, putrifying, and decaying 
vegetable matter, the odor and taste of which is anything but agreeable to 



44 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

any one. Fermentation is the first stage of decay I During this process 
the starch of all vegetable substances undergoes a chemical change, form- 
ing alcohol and carbonic acid gas, if the temperature is above 70°, and 
lactid acid, if it is below that temperature. Temperature exerts a con- 
trolling influence over the fermentation of starch, and decides whether it 
shall be lactic acid, or alcoholic fermentation. If the temperature is al- 
lowed to fall below 70° lactic acid fermentation sets in, and the bread 
becomes sour, and is then unfit for use. 

During the progress of fermentation a portion of the starch containing 
flour, is converted into carbonic acid gas and alcohol, diminishing its nutri- 
tive value about fourteen per cent., so that for every dollar's worth of flour 
made into fermented bread, more than fourteen cents is thrown away in 
the process of fermentation. 

"When labor and economy are not a consideration, and persons from long 
habit or vitiated taste, prefer fermented bread, then it should be carefully 
prepared. Mix a little good hop yeast and water with your wheat flour, 
knead the dough until it will not stick to your fingers or the bread trough. 
Thorough kneading is indispensable to make good yeast bread, and the 
poorer the flour the more kneading will be required. This is one of the 
grand secrets of making good bread out of poor flour. There is no dan- 
ger of spoiling it by a little extra kneading, since it cannot be kneaded too 
much. 

Having kneaded the dough until it does not stick to your fingers or the 
bread trough, put it in small bread pans, not more than one or two inches 
thick, and set the pans in a warm place where it will remain at a tempera- 
ture above 70° until it is raised. If the temperature is allowed for a mo- 
ment to fall below 70° it will sour and spoil. As soon as it is well raised, 
place it in an oven moderately heated, and bake thoroughly, or until the 
outside is of a fine cinnamon color all over upon the upper and under surface. 

Bread cannot be baked too much to be sweet and wholesome, in fact the 
more it is baked the sweeter and more digestible it becomes. Under done 
bread, and uncooked starch, are the most indigestible of all substances. 
We read that " bread is the staff of life," but there is nothing said about 
dough. Even little children will often beg for the crust, and say it is the 
sweetest and most delicious part of the whole loaf, and the only wonder is 
that bread makers do not make their bread all crust, or just as sweet and 
delicious by thorough baking. 

We are often told that the early settlers of this country baked their 
bread but once a week, filling the old dutch oven on Saturday afternoon, 
and allowing it to remain in the oven all night, and removing it next morn- 
ing. Half baked bread and half cooked vegetables are the bane of dys- 
peptics. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 45 

When thoroughly baked, bread should be put away in the bread chest 
until it is at least one day old, or until the process of fermentation has 
been completed, and all of the carbonic acid gas has escaped. If eaten 
fresh, the process of fermentation will continue in the stomach, more espe- 
cially in those of weak digestion, producing a large amount of gas and 
acid, causing much distress. But again stale bread is not only more digesti- 
ble but it is far more nourishing, as often remarked by frugal house wifes 
it will "go twice as far," to feed a family on stale bread. Hard working 
men, those who build our railroads and canals, eat no fresh bread and hot 
cakes to fill their stomachs with gas, and puff themselves up so they can 
scarcely breathe ; but plenty of good firm stale bread, and the same is true 
of prize fighters and the athletae. 

During the long war with Napoleon, there was a great scarcity of bread 
in England, and the British Parliament raised a commission to ascertain 
what could be done to relieve the distress of the people, and when it was 
ascertained that stale bread was far the most digestible and nutritious, Par- 
liament passed a law to remain in force during the war, making it criminal 
for bakers to sell bread less than two days old. 

More fresh bread and hot cakes are eaten in America than in all of the rest 
of the world, simply because we have so few good bread makers ! It is com- 
paratively easy for people to eat warm sour dough, but when old and stale, 
it would not be tolerated by the most vigorous stomach. Many persons 
having discovered they cannot make good bread, resort to warm or hot 
dough, as the only alternative. It is a great accomplishment for a lady to 
make good bread — an accomplishment that any lady may well be proud of. 
It is a far greater accomplishment than to play elegantly upon the piano, 
and it indicates a higher order of talent, and as much industry and appli- 
cation to learn the art. It is no easy task, I assure you. No amount of 
theory will accomplish it. It requires time, hard work, and that experi- 
ence which can only be acquired by practice. Long since I made up my 
mind to leave, at least a part of what I may earn in this life, to found 
professorships in some of our largest and best colleges for the education 
of women — not to teach young ladies how to play on the piano, or make 
wax flowers, but to make good bread. Observation has taught me, that 
more than fifty young ladies can play elegantly upon the piano where one 
can make good bread. 

In the great lottery of matrimony, when a man marries a woman who 
can and does make good bread every time, because she knows how, and 
not by guess work or accident, he may well congratulate himself that he 
has drawn the first prize, and is a most fortunate fellow, and I can congra- 
tulate him from the bottom of my heart, on his good fortune. With good 
bread to eat, he cannot help feeling good all the days of his life. Acci- 



46 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

dents excepted, he will live to be old, and finally die rich, because he can- 
not help it. He never employs a doctor, or purchases any medicine, or 
loses any time by illness, and it costs him little or nothing to live ! But a 
man who has married one of those poor, silly novel readers, who does little 
but play on the piano, and make wax flowers, one of those shiftless, slip- 
shod, shillie shallie sort of women, who can't bake a loaf of good bread, 
who makes hot dough, biscuit or cakes, for breakfast, and has what is left 
over for dinner — sour and half baked all of the time — such a man has 
drawn a blank, and is to be pitied. He is a most unfortunate fellow. 
With such food to eat his stomach becomes weak, sour, and full of gas all 
of the time. He feels low spirited, cross and irritable, then becomes a 
confirmed dyspeptic, gets the "blues," becomes discouraged, and dissatisfied 
with life, looks shiftless, coat out at the elbows, shoes down at the heels, 
is out of health and out of money, out of credit and out of friends, and 
finally becoming imbecile or insane,' ends his miserable existence in the asy- 
lum or the poor house ! 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 47 



LECTURE VI. 
HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

Animal Food. 

It is true that man can live on bread alone, and in warm climates and for 
certain temperaments, and other peculiarities of constitution, or in certain 
diseases, it may be best for some to live upon an exclusively vegetable diet, 
while for similar reasons a mixed diet may be the best for others. Com- 
mon observation and experience proves that in a climate like ours, a mix- 
ed diet is the most favorable to health. 

If "bread is the staff of life," then good beef is the crutches. Let a 
man in good health, eat plenty of good bread and good beef, and it will give 
him an eye like an eagle and a heart like a lion. Such a diet contains in 
great abundance, all of the elements which are necessary for the perfect 
nutrition of all the organs of the body. When skillfully cooked and 
well digested, it will contribute to the development of the most powerful 
physical constitution, and to the manifestation of the highest order of in- 
telligence, and the finest moral feeling — the diet of a Shakespere, a Newton, 
and a Washington. 

How Animal Food Should be Cooked. 

Quite as much will depend upon the way our food is cooked as upon any 
other quality, in fact the very best and most wholesome food may be easily 
spoiled by bad cooking. There is no part of the education of the people 
of this country, which has been so sadly neglected as the art of cooking. 
A college thoroughly supplied with all of the latest, and most approved 
chemical and philosophical apparatus, for a course of thorough instruction 
in the science and art of cooking, should be founded in every city, and the 
graduates of such an institution, would readily command salaries four times 
as large as those received by the professors in any of our literary colleges. 
It may not be generally known that the chief cooks, who preside over this 
department of some of our first-class hotels and restaurants, receive from 
$5,000 to $25,000 a year, for their services. It is an old Spanish proverb, 
that "the Lord has sent into this world a great variety and abundance of 
delicious food, to gratify the palate, and to minister to the wants of all 
mankind, while the devil, ever intent upon mischief, has sent along a lot of 
ignorant, miserable cooks to " spoil it all." 

Very much will depend upon the way meat is cooked, as regards its di- 
gestibility. The object of all cooking should be, to render our food more 
palatable, and more digestible, than when in its raw or natural condition. 



48 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

All methods of cookery which serve to render food more indigestible, and 
unwholesome, are sinful and wicked, and produce an incalculable amount 
of pain, sickness and misery. Experiment will soon convince any one 
that baking or frying a piece of meat hardens its albumen and. fibrin, and 
renders it far more indigestible and unwholesome than when raw. Baked 
or fried albumen, custards, or fried eggs are among the most insoluble and 
indigestible of all substances, while raw eggs, or soft cooked eggs are com- 
paratively digestible and wholesome. When meat is broiled or roasted 
slightly over the fire, the grease drips off and the meat being rare done or 
cooked but little, is comparatively soluble and digestible. The process of 
baking is quite different from that of roasting meat. When meat is roasted 
or broiled over or before the fire, the fat drips off the meat while it is cook- 
ing. When it is baked in a hot oven, the fat penetrates the muscular 
fibres, or is baked into the meat, saturating it with an oily fluid, ren- 
dering it far more indigestible. 

But again, experiment will show that a high temperature will harden or 
toughen all albuminous or fibrous substances, and render them insoluble 
and indigestible. Rare done meats, soft cooked eggs, &c, are far more 
digestible than when hard cooked or well done. It is for this reason that 
raw eggs, and raw meat, are far more digestible and nourishing than 
when roasted or fried. Food which is not digested cannot nourish the body. 

When meat is boiled, it should be put into water already boiling, and 
not into cold water Hot water instantly coagulates the albumen and fibrin, 
and forms a coating on the outside surface, which retains all of its saline 
and nutritive juices, and all of its osmazome and flavoring matter, &c. 
After boiling not more than ten minutes, add enough cold water to reduce the 
temperature 20° below the boiling point. Do not boil it any longer, but 
raise the kettle and place it at the back part of the range, where it will 
remain 20° below the boiling point, until the meat becomes soft and tender. 
In this way the cheapest and toughest pieces of the meat of any animal, 
may be made as tender, nourishing and digestible as the most expensive 
portions. Boiling meat at a high temperature toughens, and renders all 
kinds of meat indigestible and unwholesome, while cooking it at a low 
temperature, 20° below the boiling point, softens it, and renders it more di- 
gestible and more nourishing. By careful cooking the expenses of any 
family for meat, may easily be reduced one half or two-thirds. It is well 
known that when the tenderloin of any animal sells for thirty-five or 
forty cents, certain parts of the same animal, quite as high flavored and 
equally nourishing, may be purchased for five cents. When these cheaper 
parts are cooked with skill and care, by an intelligent well educated cook, 
they can be made equal in flavor and digestibility, and in nutritive value, 
to the very best or most expensive parts. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 49 

Beef is more nourishing, but it is much heavier and more indigestible 
than other kinds of meat. When eaten raw, it is far more digestible than 
when boiled, fried or roasted. When eaten in this way, it should be cut 
into thin slices like dried beef, and then seasoned with a little salt, and 
only warmed before the fire. Consumptives and scrofulous persons have 
derived great advantage from the use of raw beef, and coarse, stale wheat 
bread. 

Yeal, and the meat of young animals, contains more gluten than that 
of older animals, and for this reason, is not so digestible or wholesome. 
Boiled lamb, mutton or chicken, cooked soft and tender, will generally 
agree with persons having weak and irritable stomachs, and feeble organs 
of digestion, when all other kinds of animal food and meat, cooked in any 
other way, cannot be eaten without much pain and suffering ! 

Salt fish, salt and smoked meats, are far more indigestible than when 
fresh. Salt hardens albumen and fibrin, and renders these substances far 
more insoluble in the weak, gastric juice of the stomach, and more indi- 
gestible. Boiled salmon, shad and trout, may be eaten by dyspeptics, 
while salt codfish, and mackerel, smoked ham and smoked salmon, or 
sausage, would kill any one but a wolf a jackal, or a gourmand ! 

It has been shown that the gastric juice, being a watery fluid, cannot 
digest oils, fats, gums or starch. When eaten as food, these substances 
must pass through the stomach undigested, and when they reach the upper 
portion of the small intestine, they will be dissolved or digested by the 
liver and the pancreas, &c. When any kind of food which is easily di- 
gested in the stomach by the action of the gastric juice, is mixed with that 
which is not digestible in the stomach, it will cause indigestion When 
any kind of food is fried or cooked in grease or butter, the oil or fat forms 
an insoluble coating on the outside, which the gastric juice cannot pene- 
trate, and for this reason it is rendered very indigestible. Fried meat, 
fried mush, fried cakes, fried potatoes, and fried doughnuts, are simply an 
abomination, and fit only for savages ! 

Pastry, sweet £akes, composed of flour, sugar and lard, or butter, and 
in fact, all food composed of flour, sugar and oils, are rendered insoluble 
in the weak gastric juice, and are indigestible, while either of their ingre- 
dients, eaten by itself in its simple and natural condition, is comparatively 
wholesome and digestible. 

When such indigestible and unwholesome kinds of food are eaten, and 
are not digested, they will soon begin to ferment, filling the stomach with 
gas, causing flatulency, and then putrify or decay, filling the stomach 
and intestinal canal with putrid decaying animal and vegetable substances, 
which irritate, inflame and ulcerate the mucous membrane lining the in- 
testinal canal, causing an incalculable amount of pain, misery and suffer- 



50 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

ing. These diseases are known as "biliousness," "liver complaint," "dys- 
pepsia/' terms which are used so often, and which nobody, not even doctors 
know the meaning of. 

Water then, is the proper menstruum for cooking food, and tends to 
promote its solubility. When meat is carefully cooked by steaming or 
boiling, at a temperature 20° below the boiling point, it will become tender, 
and soluble in the weak acid juice of the stomach, so that old people can 
eat and digest it, though they have not a single natural tooth in their 
mouths. It will melt like cream in their mouths, and be readily digested 
by their feeble stomachs, forming an abundance of rich, creamy blood, the 
presence of which they will soon feel to the very ends of their withered 
and shrivelled fingers. Feed an aged man or woman, without teeth, on a 
piece of tough beefsteak, taken from an old hard working ox or cow, close 
up to the horns, and hammered on a meat block with a cast iron mallet, 
until it is about as hard and tasteless as a chip, and then fried in old Ohio 
lard, " strong enough to kill rats with," and you might about as well give 
them a nice piece of shoe leather, forty times tanned, so far as its digest- 
ibility may be concerned ! * 

When meat is stewed it should be cooked very differently. Wipe the 
meat clean with a napkin, cut it in small pieces, and put it in a kettle, in 
cold water, stir frequently, and let it stand an hour or two, and then cook 
at a temperature 20° below the boiling point, until it is well done, before 
adding any vegetables. 

Beef tea and beef soup should be prepared much in the same way. 
After removing all of the fat, then cut the beef fine, soak it in cold water one 
hour or two, stirring it frequently, then bring it to a boil only a minute or 
two, then strain and it is fit for use. Never boil beef tea for an hour or 
two as many do; it coagulates the albumen and fibrin, and renders them 
comparatively insoluble. Beef tea or soup prepared in this way will agree 
with an invalid, or a dyspeptic when it could not be tolerated a moment, 
prepared in the ordinary way. 

Coarse flour bread or mush, or cracked wheat mush or puddings, made 
out of flour containing the outside or woody film of grain, requires very 
thorough cooking to render this outside part of grain tender and digestible. 
When imperfectly cooked, it is tough and irritating to the mucous mem- 
brane lining the stomach and intestinal canal, and does not agree with many 
dyspeptics who have weak and irritable stomachs. This difficulty may be 
overcome by grinding the grain finer and by extra cooking. Coarse bread 
and mush, &c, are not as digestible as fine flour bread, but far more laxa- 
tive, and it is by virtue of its mechanical irritation, caused by its coarse 
particles, that it becomes laxative, and it is for the same reason that it does 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 51 

not often agree with those who have very weak and irritable stomachs, as 
in many forms of dyspepsia, &c. 

Soups, and other kinds of liquid food are often indigestible, for the 
reason they are composed of large quantities of water, holding in solution 
small quantities of nutriment, and so dilute and weaken the gastric juice 
as to retard the process of digesting or converting them into chyme, and 
fitting the nutriment which they contain to be absorbed into the blood 
vessels. 

It must not be forgotten, that all kinds of food must be digested before 
they can be absorbed into the blood. Starch, oils and albumen, in a state 
of perfect solution, cannot be absorbed until they undergo this change, 
and are converted into a milky fluid called chyle. Even milk must be di- 
gested, before its nutriment can be absorbed, and when the stomach is 
weak, it often requires cooking, before it will agree with an invalid. When 
milk is well boiled, and mixed with one-third lime water, it will agree with 
many persons who could not eat it in its raw or natural condition. 

The time required to digest various kinds of food may be ascertain- 
ed, by consulting the following tables, compiled from the best athori- 
ties upon this most important subject. It will be noticed that the same 
kind of food is more or less digestible, according to the method of prepar- 
ation. 



Boiled Eice 1.00 

" Tripe 1.00 

" Trout and Salmon 1.30 

" Venison 1.30 

" Sweet Apples 1.30 

" Sago 1.45 

" Milk 2.00 

" Tapioca 2.00 

" Codfish 2.00 

" Beef Liver 2.00 

" Lamb 2.30 

" Beans v 2.30 

" Parsnips 2.30 

" Mutton 3.00 

" Potatoes 3.30 

" Eggs, soft 3.30 

" Oysters, stewed 3.30 

" Green Corn 3.45 

" Fowl. 4.00 

" Cabbage 4.30 

Soups, Chicken 3.30 

" Oyster 3.30 

" Beef 4.00 





h. m, 


Boasted Potatoes 


....... 2.30 


" Turkey 


2.30 


" " Wild 


2.18 


" Beef 


3.00 


" Mutton 


3.15 


" Oysters 


3.15 


Fowl 


4.00 


" Veal 


4.00 


" Duck 


4.00 


" " Wild 


4.30 


" Pork 


4.00 


Fried Catfish 


3.30 


" Flounder 


3.30 


" Eggs 


3.30 


" Beef 


4.00 


" Veal 


4.30 


« Pork 


5.15 


" Sausage 


5.30 


Corn Bread 


3.15 


Wheat Bread 


3.30 


Bye " 


3.30 


Oatmeal " 


3.00 


Oatmeal Mush 


2.30 



52 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

The foregoing table has been compiled from the experiments and ob- 
servations of Dr. Beaumont upon the stomach of St. Martin, and indicates 
the time required to digest different kinds of food in a healthy, and not 
a diseased stomach. 

The following table, from a different source, will show still further the 
comparative digestibility of different kinds of food, and may be studied 
by the invalid with great advantage. 

This table is, with slight modification, from Leared : 



EASY OP DIGESTION. 


MODERATELY DIGESTIBLE. 


HARD TO DIGEST. 


Mutton, 


Beef, 


Pork, 


Venison, 


Lamb, 


Veal, 


Hare, 


Eabbit, 


Goose, 


Sweetbread, 


Young pigeon, 


Liver, 


Chickens, 


Duck, 


Heart, 


Turkey, 


Wild waterfowl, 


Brain, 


Partridge, 


Woodcock, 


Salt meat, 


Pheasant, 


Snipe, 


Sausage, 


Grouse, 


Soups, 


Hashes, 


Beef-Tea, 


Eggs, not hard boiled, 


Mackerel, 


Mutton-broth, 


Butter, 


Eels, 


Milk, 


Turtle, 


Salmon, 


Turbot, 


Cod, 


Herring, 


Haddock, 


Pike, 


Halibut, 


Flounder, 


Trout, 


Salt fish, 


Sole, 


Eaw or stewed oysters, 


Lobster, 


Fre3h fish generally, 


Potatoes, 


Crabs, 


Roasted oysters, 


Beets, 


Shrimps, 


Stale bread, 


Turnips, 


Mussels, 


Bice, 


Cabbage, 


Oil, 


Tapioca, 


Spinach, 


Melted butter, 


Sago, 


Artichoke, 


Hard boiled eggs, 


Arrowroot, 


Lettuce, 


Cheese, 


Asparagus, 


Celery, 


Fresh bread, 


Sea-kale, 


Apples, 


Muffins, 


French beans, 


Apricots, 


Buttered toast, 


Cauliflower, 


Currants, 


Pastry, 


Baked apples, 


Easpberries, 


Cakes, 


Oranges, 


Bread, 


Custards, 


Grapes, 


Farinaceous puddings, 


Nuts, pears, plums, 


Strawberries, : 


Jelly, 


Cherries, pine-apples, 


Peaches, 


Marmalade, 


Cucumbers, onions, 


Toast water, 


Ehubarb plant, 


Carrots, parsnips, 


Black Tea, - 


Cooked fruits, 


Peas, beans, mushrooms, 


Sherry, 


Cocoa, 


Pickles, 


Claret, 


Coffee, 


Chocolate, 


Ale, 


Porter, 


Champagne. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 53 

This table gives us the comparative digestibility of different kinds of 
food in a healthy, and not a diseased stomach. When the stomach is irri- 
tated, inflamed or ulcerated, all kinds of food, and even a little water, will 
cause an increase of irritation, or inflammation and pain. All mankind 
must eat food to live, and when the stomach becomes diseased, it is far 
more difficult to cure than a broken arm, for the broken limb can be confined 
in splints, and rest, while the stomach cannot rest without starvation and 
death. 

When the stomach becomes weak, irritated, inflamed or ulcerated, 
select these kinds of food most easily digested. We must often go back 
to the diet of infancy, and feed upon milk, until the stomach recovers its 
health and strength. 

Boiled milk and lime water is perhaps the most easily digested of all 
kinds of food. Raw milk contains considerable sugar, and will often fer- 
ment and sour, causing flatulency and distress ; but when it is perfectly 
fresh, and scalded, and mixed with one-third lime water, it will digest 
easier and quicker than any other kind of food, with which the author is 
acquainted. When there is great irritation, inflammation, or ulceration 
of the stomach, only a small quantity, a spoonful or two should be eaten 
at a time, and the quantity gradually increased as its strength and tone 
improves. This diet may be continued in many cases of disease of the 
organs of digestion, for several months, with the most striking advantage. 
When the stomach becomes stronger add a little oatmeal gruel, sago or boil- 
ed rice, and then a little boiled lamb or fish. In this way an invalid with a 
weak stomach may begin at the foot of the ladder, and if wise, prudent 
and patient may gradually climb. More disease, pain, suffering and prem- 
ature death, is caused by the imprudent use of unwholesome food, than by 
all other causes combined ! 

It is a natural law of healthy digestion, that the quality of the food we 
eat, must be adapted to the nature of the human stomach. 

Our food should be sufficiently coarse and stimulating to the stomach, 
to cause the secretion of the necessary amount of gastric juice to digest 
it. If our diet is composed of too fine materials, such as gum, starch, 
oil, sugar, sweet meats, candy, fine flour bread and cakes, &c, it will not 
stimulate the stomach sufficiently to cause the gastric follicles to secrete 
the gastric juice, or rennet, in sufficient quantities, to dissolve and digest 
the food, and hence, the Esquimaux and Greenlander, who subsist largely 
upon whale oil, and the fat of the polar bear, mix their food with earth 
to give it sufficient bulk, and adapt it to the wants of their digestive organs. 

Common observation and experience teach us, that oily substances 
are extremely difficult of digestion, and more especially, when submitted 
to a high temperature, as in the preparation of various kinds of cakes and 
pastry, gravies, &c. 



54 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

Heat will convert the sweetest cream or butter into rancid grease almost 
instantly, and so destroy all of its natural sweet creamy flavor, and render 
it extremely offensive to the stomach, while sweet cream and butter may 
be eaten moderately, even by dyspeptics. Old rancid " cooking butter " 
old as Methuselah and strong as Samson, should never be eaten by any 
one unless his life is well insured. Many people purchase cheap cooking 
butter for the sake of economy. It is true they cannot eat it with bread 
or vegetables, as their noses and tongues stand guard, as faithful sentinels 
to warn the stomach of the approach of this offensive enemy, and they 
will not tolerate its disgusting smell and nauseous taste. It can only be 
smuggled into the stomach, by mixing it with sugar, spices and flour 
in the form of sweet cake. Having smuggled its way into the stomach, 
the gastric juice cannot digest it, and the stomach will soon separate its 
ingredients, and having digested the flour of the cake, the rancid butter 
fumes and ferments. 

"The languid stomach, 

Curses e'en the pure delicious fat and all the race of oil ; 

For more the oily aliment relaxes its feeble tone ; 

The insoluble oil, so gentle, late and blandishing, 

In floods of rancid bile o'erflows. What tumults, hence 

What horrors rise, 'twere nauseous to relate." 

Alkalies. 

The gastric juice, as before mentioned, contains, besides pepsin, which 
serves the purposes of a kind of ferment, a considerable quantity of chloro 
hydric acid, to digest our food. If we neutralize this acid with a little 
soda or salaeratus in the stomach, it will diminish the power of digestion. 
It is for this reason that the use of alkalies after eating will cause indiges- 
tion, by neutralizing the lactic and chloro hydric acid of the gastric juice, 
and they should be carefully avoided. Soda, biscuit, and salaeratus bread, 
are a fruitful, cause of dyspepsia, and diseases of the stomach. Alkalies 
have often been used by excessively fat people to reduce corpulency, with 
great success, taken one or two hours after the principal meals, but if used 
for too long a time, will so impair the tone of the stomach, as to produce 
incurable disease. 

Alcohol coagulates albumen, and retards the solution of albuminous food 
in the stomach. When the white of an egg, or milk is mixed with whiskey 
or brandy, the albumen will at once coagulate, and is rendered comparatively 
insoluble by the gastric juice. All alcoholic substances promote indiges- 
tion by rendering the food less soluble, and should be carefully avoided by 
persons with weak stomachs, and impaired digestion. When used as food, 
they increase the amount of fat forming matter, and diminish the amount 
of albumen and fibrin, or muscle and brain forming matter in the blood, 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 55 

and for this reason, boxers, prize fighters, and the athletae abstain from the 
use of them while training to develop their muscles, and increase their 
physical strength. 

It is a natural law of healthy digestion, that our food should be eaten 
with deliberation, and thoroughly masticated and mixed with saliva, to 
adapt it to the capacity of the stomach to digest it. 

The human stomach, as you will observe, (holding up a natural stomach) 
is a thin membranous sack, and is not adapted to digest large masses of 
coarse crude food, and for this reason, our food ought to be well crushed, 
and thoroughly chewed, and reduced to the finest consistence while it is 
yet in the mouth, before it is introduced into so delicate an organ as the 
stomach. 

Those animals who do not chew but swallow their food, like the turkey 
and ostrich, are provided with large membranous craws beneath the skin 
of their breasts, which receive the food, and after it has been softened by 
its juices, it is carried into the gizzard, a sort of mill where it is ground 
to the finest pulpy consistence, and then sent forward into the stomach, 
where the process of digestion is completed. Unfortunately for the wel- 
fare and happiness of most rapid eaters, no analagous mechanical arrange- 
ment exists in the human body, and if they eat their food ostrich fashion, 
unless they have gizzards, they will be badly off for the means of digest- 
ing it. 

The American people have often been called a nation of dyspeptics. In 
no other country on the face of the globe, do we find this disease so com- 
mon, and in no other country do people eat their food so rapidly ! 

The American people are an active, sanguine race, busily engaged in 
the great battle of life, — in the turmoil, toil and strife of trade and com- 
merce, in transferring the standard of civilization from the frozen shores 
of the Atlantic to the golden sands of the Pacific. In this country, men 
appear upon the stage of life with the brilliancy of a meteor, and disap- 
pear with the flash of the comet ! They "go ahead," as the saying is, and 
"live like lightning, and die like lightning I" If they ever stop to eat, 
it is only when compelled to do so by the sternest cravings of nature, and 
then they eat as though the safety of their lives depended upon the com. 
pletion of the repast in about ten minutes. 

Gro station yourselves in the spacious dining saloons of some of those 
palaces that float upon our inland seas and rivers, during the fashionable 
Summer season, and see how the elite eat their food, and you will no lon- 
ger be astonished that dyspepsia marks itself, in indelible lines, upon the 
countenances of nine-tenths of the American people. 

As the well known gong in the hands of the sable waiter, peals forth its 
thunder, announcing that dinner is ready, you had better quickly stand 



56 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

one side or you will be run over! In they rush like a cloud of hungry vul- 
tures descending to their prey — every one as he rushes forward pell mell, 
casts an anxious glance down the long table that groans beneath its weight 
of sumptuous viands, spread upon its ample surface, and having hastily 
seated himself in front of the largest piece of baked beef, brandishes his 
knife and fork and prepares for action. "With an agitated, nervous hand he 
quickly helps himself to everything within reach upon the table, and then 
begins the process of "bolting" his dinner, a feat of dexterity that would 
do honor to the most adroit juggler of ancient or modern times. In the 
first place he cuts his potatoe into four equal parts of convenient size, and 
after cutting a large piece of meat he pierces it with his fork, and with 
a skillful and rapid movement it is deposited in his mouth, and before he 
shuts it, for fear of losing time, in pops a quarter of potatoe and a mouth- 
ful of bread, when he stretches up his neck and rolls his eyes, as if in mortal 
fear of suffocation, and with a desperate and convulsive struggle "bolts" 
the whole mass into his stomach. This habit of rapid eating is so com- 
mon in this country, as to be designated by foreigners the " American 
habit of swallowing their dinner." 

Some people say they have not time to eat their food, like rational hu- 
man beings, and so they must eat it and run like a turkey. Now if we do 
not voluntarily find time to eat our food in a proper manner, we will soon 
be compelled to find time to be sick, and perhaps find time to die. If we 
are so overwhelmed with cares or so thronged with business that we do not 
find time to eat our dinners in a proper manner, then we had better go with- 
out eating until supper time, or until we finish our employments, and not 
insanely sacrifice health merely for the pleasure of eating. A man who is 
too busy to take care of his health, is much like a mechanic who is too 
busy to sharpen and take care of his tools. 

The position of the body after eating, exerts a controlling influence upon 
the process of digestion. 

After eating to repletion the inferior animals seek a position of repose, 
where they can rest and digest their food. If you examine (fig. 19), you 
will observe that the great cavities of the body are filled with the vital and 
nutritive organs, in constant motion ! Now if we bend the body forward 
while sitting or standing, it will greatly diminish the size of the cavity of 
chest and abdomen, and compress the vital and nutritive organs, and im- 
pair their functions. Most persons have often observed while engaged in 
any sedentary employment, and bending forward, what relief would be af- 
forded by straightening up. How often when engaged in any work requir- 
ing us to stoop forward as in sewing, we are compelled to rise up on account 
of pain or uneasiness in the side or chest, caused by compressing the vital 
and nutritive organs against each other, and interrupting their proper ac- 



HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 57 

tion. The erect position of the body will be carefully maintained in sitting 
and standing, in proportion as we value the blessings of good health. 

Action alternate with rest is a natural law of healthy digestion. All 
action not followed by rest is attended by a loss of power. Now inasmuch 
as the stomach cannot rest while digesting our food, it must be allowed to 
remain empty until it recovers its exhausted energies. It requires about 
five hours for a healthy stomach to digest a hearty meal, and it requires at 
least half as long after the meal is digested for the stomach to rest, and 
recover its exhausted energies. Continuous labor will soon destroy the 
powers of digestion. If we eat breakfast at seven it will digest by twelve, 
and by two or three o'clock, the stomach will be restored and prepared for 
our dinner. 

Two meals a day will be amply sufficient for all persons of sedentary or 
inactive life. Eating lunches, and feeding children at frequent intervals, 
is exceedingly pernicious, and soon destroys the tone of the stomach. 

For many years, the author has eaten his breakfast from seven to eight, 
and his dinner at from two to three o'clock in the afternoon, and nothing 
for supper, and is fully convinced from experience, that this course of 
living is the most favorable for the most perfect health. 

Laboring men, who eat their breakfast at five or six o'clock in the morn- 
ing, may lunch at twelve, and dine at six or seven o'clock, but no one 1 
should, as a rule, eat anything after the sun has set, and the period of re- 
pose and sleep has arrived. The universal instinct of all animal life,, 
teaches them the importance of this great law. 

A desire to eat frequently is the result of habit, and may easily be 
changed at will. For instance, any mother may teach her child to nurse 
several times in the night, or not at all, just as she pleases. Frequent 
eating, continually munching apples, nuts, cakes and candy, is a most per- 
nicious habit, and an intolerable nuisance to the stomach, keeping it in a 
constant commotion, and should be speedily corrected. The habit of fre- 
quent eating is injurious in two ways : first, it keeps the stomach in con- 
stant employment, with no rest ; and second, it deranges the process of 
digestion, by mixing fresh crude food with that which is nearly digested. 
If you were engaged making mortar for building purposes, and after you. 
had nearly prepared it fit for use, some one should rudely mix with it a 
quantity of fresh clay, then you would be compelled to go through with 
the same process again, and so it is with the digestion of our food ! 

It is a natural law of healthy digestion, that when the stomach becomes 
irritated, inflamed or diseased, it requires rest for cure ! 

The importance of observing this principle is generally recognized in 
reference to all diseases of the body. No one afflicted with inflamed or 
sore eyes would think of using them in reading, &c, because they would 
soon learn from experience that the use of their eyes under such circum- 



58 HOW TO ACQUIRE A HEALTHY STOMACH AND GOOD DIGESTION. 

stances, will be followed by increased pain and inflammation. The same 
law holds good in reference to all of the organs of the body when diseased. 
Use, under such circumstances, will increase the pain, inflammation and 
disease. 

If we suffer with indigestion, produced by functional or organic disease 
of the stomach, we must not forget that this organ requires rest, in order 
to recover its wasted energies. The failure of invalids to recognize and 
obey this natural law of their own organization, is one of the greatest ob- 
stacles to the speedy cure of all diseases of the stomach and organs of 
digestion. "When the stomach of the dyspeptic becomes weak and ex- 
hausted, or diseased from over eating, so that it cannot digest even the 
smallest quantity of the simplest food without pain or suffering, he fool- 
ishly imagines that it can only be strengthened by giving it more labor to 
perform ! 

English factory children have received the commisseration of the world, 
because they were scourged to work eighteen hours out of twenty-four, but 
there is many a theoretic republican who is a harsher Pharaoh to his 
stomach than this, — who allows it no more resting time than he does his 
watch ! — who gives it no Sunday, no holiday, no vacation in any sense ! 

What would you think of a master who should compel his slaves to la- 
bor after they were fatigued and exhausted, in order that they might be 
refreshed and restored? You would certainly think that the only suitable 
place for such a man, would be the lunatic asylum. Nor is the practice 
of eating large quantities of even the simplest food, when the stomach is 
diseased and exhausted, more reasonable or less fatal in its consequences. 

Last Summer the author was requested to visit a sturdy mechanic suffer- 
ing with chronic inflammation of the stomach, brought on by over eating. 
He prescribed a low diet and rest, with suitable cooling remedies, &c. In 
a few days he had so far recovered, as to be able to be about the house, but 
was "dreadful weak," of course, and so told his wife that he thought if he 
could only "eat something nourishing" he would soon regain his strength. 
His wife inquired what he would prefer, when he replied he could not think 
of anything he could relish but some apple dumplings, so she cooked half 
a dozen for dinner, and after they were carefully prepared, he sat down to 
the table and began upon them, and in a few moments he managed to dis- 
patch five, when raising his eyes, he saw his little son looking so wistfully 
at the last one, when he gently patted him upon the head, observing "poor 
papa is sick/' and swallowed the last one, barely escaping with his life. 
If the physician could only sew up the mouths of his patients, leaving only 
a small opening at one corner, there would be little trouble in curing the 
various forms of indigestion, and hence I say much more depends upon 
the patient than the physician in the cure of these affections. 



DISEASES OP THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 59 



LECTURE VII. 

DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 

Having illustrated and described the structure, nature and uses of the 
different organs concerned in digesting our food, and the laws which gov- 
ern their growth, and maintain their healthy action, it now remains for us 
to study the causes of their diseases, the means of prevention, as well as 
the best method of cure. 

The organs of digestion are the most exposed, and consequently the most 
liable to abuse and iojury, of any of the organs of the human body, and 
it is for this reason they are most frequently diseased. The stomach is 
easily assailable through the mouth, while the heart, brains, kidneys, &c, 
are locked up within the great cavities of the body, and cannot be reached 
except through the circulation of the blood, and for this reason they do 
not as frequently become diseased. 

The human stomach is made the common receptacle of everything 
clean and unclean, wholesome and unwholesome, whiskey, wine, beer, 
opium, tobacco, red pepper, mustard, pepper sauce, pickles, preserves, sweet 
meats, vinegar, hot cakes, hot tea, hot coffee, and cold ice cream, 
frequently eaten in enormous quantities, and at all hours of the day and 
night, keeping the stomach in perpetual commotion, and allowing it no time 
to rest and recover its exhausted energies. Many people who think them- 
selves perfectly sane, deliberately apply to the exquisitely delicate and sen- 
sitive mucous membrane lining their stomach, many times a day, what they 
could not endure for an hour when applied to the hard tough skin covering 
the outside surface of their bodies, and yet wonder why the mucous mem- 
brane lining their stomachs so often becomes irritated, inflamed and diseased. 
Let some of our epicures and gourmands mix with their food some red 
peppers and mustard, some young onions and radishes, some pepper sauce 
and vinegar, some whiskey and tobacco, and make it into ^poultice, and then 
apply it to their tough skins for an hour or two, by way of experiment, and 
many of them will discover what causes their stomachs to become irritated, 
inflamed and ulcerated. A few such experiments would teach them a 
most important lesson in practical hygiene, and the best means of curing 
diseases of the organs of digestion. 

When such pernicious habits of eating irritating and unwholesome food, 
and the use of stimulating beverages are followed by sedentary occupations, 
they are sure to produce irritation, inflammation and ulceration of the 
stomach and organs of digestion. 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 



60 

Our ancestors ate plain food, and for that reason did not often eat too 
much. They had more exercise in the sun light and pure air, they retired 
early, and slept in well ventilated dwellings, and were far more regular in 
all of their habits, and for that reason enjoyed better health. 

Inflammation of the Stomach. 
"When we eat plain, wholesome and digestible food, in proper quantities, 
and at proper intervals, and drink pure water, they will stimulate the or- 
gans of digestion to healthy action, causing an increased flow of blood to 
the stomach, followed by an abundant secretion of gastric juice, and the 
thorough digestion of our food, without the manifestation of any pain, or 
disagreeable sensation. But when we eat large quantities of unwholesome 
and indigestible food, salt meat, salt fish, green vegetables, sour unripe 
fruit, sweet meats, pastry, old cheese, fried cakes, hot cakes and coffee, cold 
ice cream, iced water, whiskey, beer, wine, &c, and other irritating and 
indigestible food, it will irritate the mucous membrane lining the stomach, 
causing congestion and inflammation, followed by the secretion of large 
quantities of ropy mucous, or slime, causing a foul stomach, vulgarly called 
" biliousness," by uneducated people ! If this disease is not cured by 
careful regulation of the diet, and proper medical treatment, it will soon 
cause pain and uneasiness, heat, burning sensations, with tenderness and 
soreness through the region of the stomach, wandering pains through the 
chest, headache, white furred tongue, &c. 

p IQ# 32 # The accompanying il- 

lustration, (fig. 32,) re- 
presents the cavity of the 
stomach the u day after" 
eating and drinking at 
one of our fashionable 
parties. The mucous 
membrane has lost its 
pale pink color, and as- 
sumed a deep purple red, 
and is congested with 
blood, and highly in- 
flamed. Its cavity, con- 
tains large quantities of 
slime or mucous, mixed with shreds and particles of undigested food. A 
single indulgence in eating and drinking will often produce, in this way, an 
attack of gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach, that will require seve- 
ral weeks of temperate and sober living to remove. 

Treatment. When the mucous membrane lining the stomach becomes 
irritated, congested or inflamed, from the use of indigestible or unwhole- 




Appearance of the Cavity of the Stomach after indulging in 
the use of irritating and unwholesome Food and Drink. From 
the Author's private Cabinet. 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 



61 






some food and drink, all kinds of food and drink, even a little water, will 
increase the disease, often causing nausea and vomiting. When any of 
the lower animals suffer with disease of the stomach, they instinctively 
stop eating I — Abstain carefully from the use of all kinds of solid food for 
several days, use only boiled milk and lime water, or a little bread tea, or 
thin gruel, and drink only small quantities at a time of cool water ; and 
when there is much headache and fever, with restlessness, to remove the 
accumulated secretions of mucous from the cavity of the stomach and in- 
testinal canal, take one or two bottles of citrate of magnesia, in divided 
doses ! 

When the mucous membrane lining the stomach and intestinal canal 
becomes irritated and inflamed, and the disease is neglected or improperly 
treated, and the person so diseased still continues imprudent, indulging in 
the use of irritating and unwholesome food and drink, the disease becomes 
chronic, and is soon followed by thickening of the mucous membrane 
lining the stomach with contraction of the gastric follicles, diminishing the 
secretion of gastric juice, causing terrible indigestion. 

When the mucous membrane lining the pyloric extremity of the stom- 
ach has been irritated and inflamed, in old long standing cases, it becomes 
congested and thickened, gradually diminishing the size of the pyloric 
valve, through which the partially digested food is discharged into the 
duodenum, causing the food to be retained in the stomach, producing 
flatulency, regurgitations or eructations of food partly digested, and mixed 
with slime or mucous, and sometimes with dark grumous or bloody mat- 
ter, of a sour, acrid taste, and exceedingly offensive smell. 

In many instances the mucous membrane lining the stomach, more es- 
pecially that part lining the pyloric extremity, becomes ulcerated (as seen 
in figure 33.) When the Fig. 33. 

mucous membrane lining 
the stomach becomes ul- 
cerated, it will cause pain 
and soreness through the 
region of the ulceration, 
greatly increased by the 
use of irritating and un- 
wholesome food and drink, 
followed by great debility 
and exhaustion. 

T t + TTi i\' Ulceration of the Mucous Membrane, and thickening of the 

Ireatment. ±Ue (IIS- Mucoug Membrane with contraction "of the Gastric Follicles, 
ease has nOW become chrO- From the Author's private Cabinet. 

nic and far more difficult of management. In the treatment of all organic 
diseases of an inflammatory or ulcerative nature, rest is of the first importance 
5 




62 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 



to secure success. When the arm is broken, after the bones are adjusted 
the arm is confined in splints, and placed at rest. When the eyes from over 
use or other causes, become inflamed and sore, they are covered with soothing 
applications, and the light is carefully excluded from the room to secure 
rest. When a man's carriage is broken down, he does not think of repair- 
ing it while using it. And so of the human stomach when it becomes dis- 
eased and broken down, it must rest to be repaired. Carefully abstain from 
the use of all kinds of food that is difficult of digestion. Boiled milk and 
lime water, bread tea, oatmeal gruel, sago, tapioca or farina, eaten very 
sparingly are the only kinds of food that will be admissible. The author 
has often been compelled in the treatment of ulceration of the stomach, to 
confine the diet to a tablespoonful of milk and lime water, once an hour or 
two, for several weeks in succession, before the stomach acquired sufficient 
strength to digest other food. 

The greatest obstacle to the cure of gastric ulcerations, is the difficulty 
of controlling the diet, particularly as the appetite is often morbid and ex- 
cessive, with a constant craving for food and a temptation to eat too much, 
or that which is injurious. The difficulty is often made still more conspic- 
uous by the absurd interference of friends, by their suggestions that the 
person will "starve" if they do not eat something, &c. 

If there is much tenderness and soreness over the region of the ulcera- 
tion, counter irritation should be produced, by means of stimulating lini- 
ments or plasters, which may be renewed sufficiently often to continue the 
irritation of the skin. Internally, the chlorate of potash should be ad- 
ministered in ten grain doses, three times a day, in a wineglassful of water. 
In many cases, especially among habitual drinkers and gross livers, ulcera- 
tion of the mucous membrane of the stomach may gradually extend itself, 

until it finally perforates the 
coats of the stomach, allowing 
its contents to escape into the 
cavity of the abdomen, caus- 
ing violent inflammation, pain, 
exhaustion and death. It is 
often noticed, that persons of 
sedentary or confined employ- 
ments, who work at some kind 
of mechanical pursuit, are 
more liable to ulceration of 
the stomach than others en- 
gaged at different employ- 
ments. A confined, stooping 
position, interferes with the proper action of the stomach, and is very 
unfavorable to digestion, and often causes disease of the stomach. 




Ulceration of the Stomach, followed by perforation, &c. 
From the Author's Cabinet. 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 



63 



Fig. 35. 




Ulceration and thickening of the mucous membrane lining the stomach, 
when neglected or improperly treated, more especially in certain constitu- 
tions where there is a hereditary taint or predisposition, is often followed 
by cancerous disease of the pyloric extremity, (as seen in fig. 35.) It is 
well known, that long continued irritation of any part of the body, will 
be followed by congestion, inflammation and thickening, or change of 
structure and functions, and finally the development of diseased or malig- 
nant action. Cancer of the lip is often produced by the irritation caused 
by smoking, cancer of 
the tongue by the irrita- 
tion caused by a carious 
tooth, and even a wart 
or mole may become can- 
cerous by continued fric- 
tion or irritation. In 
cancerous diseases of the 
stomach, the skin assumes 
a pale, lemon waxy color, 
called the " cancerous ca- 
chexia," followed by ter- 
rible neuralgia, or rheu- 
matic pains, frequent vo- 
miting of dark grumous or bloody matter, looking like " coffee grounds/' 
followed by great emaciation, extreme debility, and finally dropsy and 
death. 

In many instances, ulceration of the stomach may extend upwards along 
the mucous membrane lining the throat, mouth, nose, &c, causing "ulcer- 
ated sore throat," " canker in the mouth," " ozena," &c. Or it may extend 
downwards through the Fig. 36. 

pyloric valve, (as seen in 
fig. 36,) causing ulceration 
of the small intestine or 
the large intestine, with 
great irritability and weak- 
ness of the bowels, and 
constant tendency to diar- 
rhoea. In many cases of 
long standing, more espe- 
cially, when complicated 
with disease of the lungs, 
or consumption, ulceration 
of the mucous membrane lining the small and large intestine, causing 



Cancerous Disease of the Pyloric Extremity of the Stomach. 




Ulceration of Stomach A, and of the Pyloric Valve C, and 
of the Duodenum B. 



Fig. 



64 DISEASES OP THE ORGANS OP DIGESTION. 

diarrhoea, is almost always present. When the lining surface of the upper 
portion of the small intestine becomes inflamed and thickened, it causes a 
contraction of the mouths of the gall and pancreatic ducts, (see fig. 36, 
1 and 2) preventing the secretion of bile and pancreatic juice, causing 
congestion and enlargement of the liver, with a new train of symptoms. 

When the liver becomes torpid, con- 
gested or enlarged it will cause pain, 
i ( ^J^ weight and heaviness in the right side 

-<^f \ A ^^-^^ an d shoulder, with tenderness or sore- 

ness, on pressure over the lower ribs of 
the right side, and constipation with 
a dingy, rusty or sallow skin, from re- 
tention of bile in the blood. Careful 
examination will show dulness and 




Enlargment of the Liver, 
dark outline. 



Shown by the 



fulness or swelling of the right side, 
(as seen in figure 37) showing the liver 
in the dark space congested and en- 
larged. This form of liver disease 
often occurs in dram drinkers, and 
among habitual drunkards, and gross 
and imprudent livers. When neglect- 
ed or improperly treated, the liver 
gradually increases in size, and finally 
assumes a dirty straw color, and be- 
coming degenerated, acquires a fatty 
consistence with a knobby uneven sur- 
face, known as nob nail" or "rum liver." The skin now assmes a dirty 
brown or dingy yellow color, the abdomen enlarges, respiration becomes 
short and difficult, the feet begin to swell, and finally dropsy manifests 
itself in the cavity of the chest and abdomen ! It is very rare that dropsy 
manifests itself as a simple disease. It is almost always caused by disease 
of the liver, heart, lungs or kidneys, and often proves fatal, only because 
the local organic disease causing it is incurable. There is no form of in- 
temperance more likely to produce disease of the organs of digestion, or 
more fatal in its consequences, than the pernicious habit of dram drinking, 
especially in the morning. The stomach being empty, is far more sensi- 
tive and impressible at this hour than at any other period during the day, 
and it is quite notorious that morning drinkers rarely live to become old 
men ! 

Treatment. When the liver becomes torpid, congested and enlarged, 
the diet should be carefully regulated. Avoid the use of fat meats, but- 
ter, gravy and oily food, and the use of all alcoholic stimulants, such as 



DISEASES OP THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 



65 



beer, wine, whiskey, &c. Sponge the skin over the region of the congested 
and enlarged liver, with the nitro muriatic acid, night and morning. 

Fig. 41. 




Cavity of the Abdomen with enormous Enlargment of the Liver, caused by Intemperance. 

The nitro muriatic acid bath for this purpose, should be made about the 
strength of ordinary vinegar. If the bowels are confined, use mild laxa- 
tives, and avoid the use of mandrake and other drastic purgatives, as cal- 
culated to irritate the liver, and do more harm than good. As a powerful 
tonic to stimulate the liver and restore its healthy functions, no remedy will 
be found equal to the diluted nitro muriatic acid, taken in doses of ten or 
fifteen drops, after eating three times a day. 



66 DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 



LECTURE VIII. 
DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 

When the mucous membrane lining the stomach and intestinal canal 
becomes irritated, inflamed or ulcerated, or when the liver becomes torpid, 
congested or enlarged, the symptoms will vary according to the nature, ex- 
tent and duration of the disease. 

The appetite is changeable, in some cases it is diminished, but much 
more frequently it is excessive, with feelings of faintness and hunger, 
nearly all of the time. When the stomach is weak or diseased, and does 
not digest our food, it will not nourish the system, and so satisfy the crav- 
ings of hunger. An excessive or morbid appetite is a common symptom 
of weakness or disease of the organs of digestion. 

Disease of the organs of digestion also causes foul breath, bitter, acrid 
disagreeable taste in the mouth, with a furred tongue, especially early in 
the morning, flatulent eructations or belching, regurgitations of acrid, bitter 
fluids, or mucus mixed with food, wandering aches and pains in the side, 
chest, shoulders, head and back, nervousness, fluttering and palpitation of 
the heart, with unsteady and irregular pulse, trembling feelings, sinking 
and fainting sensations, starting in the sleep, dreams and unrefreshing 
slumbers, wakefulness, pain and tenderness beneath the left breast, often 
extending up through the chest and down through the bowels. 

When our food is not digested, it ferments, putrifies and decays in the 
stomach and bowels, like yeast, forming a large amount of gas or wind, and 
acid, with frequent belching, vertigo or dizziness, headache, defective 
memory, small, weak pulse, feeble circulation, cold hands and feet, &c. 

When the liver becomes involved, and disease of the stomach becomes 
complicated with torpor, or disease of the liver, then the bowels become 
constipated or irregular, with occasional looseness, and slimy or mucus 
stools. 

The urine is often scanty and high colored, with red or brick dust col- 
ored sediments on the bottom of the vessel, if it stands over night, causing 
irritation and inflammation of the kidneys, bladder, and water passages, 
with pains in the loins and back, smarting or burning sensations through 
the bladder, urethra, &c. 

Very few persons appear to appreciate or understand the various symp- 
toms caused by diseases of the organs of digestion. Almost always these 
symptoms are thought to indicate disease of the heart, lungs, brain, kid- 



DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 67 

nevs ; and other organs of the body, for the reason, that when the organs 
of digestion become diseased, all of the other organs of the body often 
become affected sympathetically, causing many erroneous conclusions as 
to the origin and nature of the disease. 

The stomach and organs of digestion are to the other organs of the hu- 
man body, what the roots are to the tree or plant. Cut off or destroy the 
roots, and the leaves, the flowers, and the fruit will all wither and perish. 

When the stomach and organs of digestion are strong and healthy, and 
our food is well digested, it will form rich pure blood. The food we eat 
to-day is formed into the blood which circulates in our veins to-morrow> 
and the next day it is worn out and cast off from the system. Our blood 
is constantly changing, constantly being renewed from the food we eat, and 
then entering into the formation of the various tissues and organs of the 
body, then wearing out, and dying, and being cast off in the form of 
the various secretions from the skin, lungs, kidneys, and other organs of 
our bodies. 

Our blood is not the same day after day, and year after year as many 
people fancy, but is constantly changing, and its quality and quantity will 
always depend upon the food we eat and digest. The blood is made out of 
our food and must partake of its nature. Grood food well digested will 
make good blood, and bad food badly digested will make poor thin and 
impure blood. In fact the whole nature and appearance of any animal 
may be changed and wonderfully improved, by a skillful management of its 
diet, as has often been shown by experiment. 

The blood cannot be cleansed and purified by dosing with mandrake 
pills, whiskey bitters, &c, as so many ignorant and superstitious people 
fancy. How many poor, wretched, ignorant and superstitious invalids have 
killed themselves, swallowing cart loads of brimstone and cream of tartar, 
bone set and catnip tea, pills, bitters and panaceas to " cleanse the blood," 
more especially in the spring of the year, when a little knowledge of them- 
selves would have shown the absurdity of such treatment. 

When our blood is rich and pure it will heal all diseases, and repair all 
injuries. Every one has seen how rapidly the flesh of a young child will 
heal, when injured by accident, and how slow is the recovery of the aged and 
infirm. When a child breaks his leg, how soon he will recover, and how 
slow and doubtful the recovery of the old man. The young and vigorous 
are rarely afflicted with any chronic diseases, while the aged and debilitated 
are often so. Young children having vigorous stomachs and good blood 
making powers, their blood is rich and rapidly heals, and restores every 
part of their bodies that may be diseased, or injured by accident. Not so 
with the aged and infirm, their stomachs and organs of digestion having 



68 DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 

been abused for many years, are at last worn out, and their blood becomes 
so impoverished that it cannot repair the waste and wear incident to life, 
and death often comes without any serious organic disease. 

Indigestion often causes the skin and complexion to become rusty and 
dingy, sallow, faded and spotted, owing to the retention of various impuri- 
ties in the blood, which ought to be cast off and discharged from the sys- 
tem by the action of the liver and digestive canal. When our food is not 
promptly digested, the starch and sugar which it contains will often undergo 
the process of fermentation in the cavity of the stomach and intestinal 
canal, forming large quantities of lactic acid and alchohol, which is absorb- 
ed into the blood and sent to the brain, causing vertigo or dizziness — a spe- 
cies of alchoholic intoxication The lactic acid is also sent to the nerves 
and muscles, causing nervous irritation and neuralgia, rheumatism, &c. 

No pathological fact is better established at the present day, than that 
neuralgia, rheumatism and gout, in all of their various forms and phases, 
are produced by the accumulation of lactic acid in the blood, and that they 
are the result of imperfect digestion of our food. 

The formation of large quantities of lactic and other acids in the cavity of 
the stomach and intestinal canal, causes great irrtiation of the mucous mem- 
brane lining the cavity of these organs, which often extends upwards to 
the cavity of the throat, causing irritable, sore throat, and also to the 
cavity of the nose, causing irritation, and the secretion of large quantities 
of mucus and discharges from the nose, &c, called nasal catarrh. This 
irritation of the mucous membrane is often extended downwards from the 
throat along the mucous membrane lining the air tube into the lungs, 
causing burning or smarting sensations, with profuse discharges of mucus 
or slime, and is known as pulmonary catarrh, or bronchitis. 

In nearly all cases of fatal chronic diseases of the heart, lungs, brain, 
kidneys, rheumatism, scrofula, &c, when the mucous membrane lining the 
stomach and intestinal canal is carefully examined, numerous traces of dis- 
ease will be discovered. Sometimes it will be congested, red and inflamed, 
and in many cases of long standing disease, thickened and ulcerated, thus 
proving conclusively, that fatal complications, or diseases of other organs 
were originally caused by chronic inflammation, congestion, thickening or 
ulceration of the mucous membrane lining the intestinal canal. 

In many instances the author has observed the mucous membrane de- 
tached, leaving the inside surface of the stomach and intestinal canal raw 
and granulated, like the surface of the skin when the cuticle has been 
removed by the action of a blister. In other cases of chronic diseases of 
the heart, lungs and kidneys of long standing, after death, when the stomach 
and intestinal canal were examined, the gastric follicles, which secrete 



DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. bd 

the gastric juice to digest our food, were found contracted, and nearly ob- 
literated, destroying the powers of digestion. In some instances, the dis- 
ease had extended downwards through the pyloric valve into the duodenum , 
or second stomach, causing congestion, thickening, and ulceration of the 
mucous membrane, with tendency to diarrhoea, &c. The biliary and pan- 
creatic ducts, which open into this part of the intestinal canal, were often 
found contracted from thickening of the mucous membrane lining the du- 
odenum, so that the biliary and pancreatic fluids could not escape from 
the liver and pancreas into the cavity of the intestinal canal, causing most 
obstinate constipation, &c. Numerous examples of all these stages of dis- 
ease of the mucous membrane lining the stomach and intestinal canal, may 
be seen in the author's private cabinet, containing by far the most exten- 
sive and costly collections of morbid anatomy, to be seen anywhere in this 
country, including duplicates of all of Thibert's splendid pathological col- 
lection, contained in his museum in Paris, with many valuable additions. 

Why Diseases op the Stomach and Liver are Not Cured. 

From errors of diet and other abuses the mucous membrane lining the 
stomach and bowels becomes irritated and congested, causing indigestion, 
&c, for the cure of which a dose of physic is taken, which only increases 
the irritation, and makes the disease worse. In the meantime the same 
bad habits of eating and drinking continue, and the mucous membrane 
becomes red and inflamed, causing flashes of heat, burning sensations, un- 
usual thirst, bad taste in the mouth, and the tongue is covered with white 
fur, looking as if the person had been eating boiled milk, for the cure of 
which more pills are taken. When long continued, this inflammation will 
result in thickening of the mucous membrane lining the stomach, and con- 
traction of the gastric follicles, when the gastric juice cannot be secreted, 
and the bile and pancreatic fluids are not poured out by the liver and pan- 
creas, causing the bowels to become irregular or constipated, for the cure 
of which the poor irritated and inflamed stomach is drenched with drastic 
and irritating purgatives, "mandrake pills" and "anti-bilious physic," 
which only increase the disease and despair of the invalid. 

For many generations all diseases of the organs of digestion have been 
grouped together without much distinction, and called " dyspepsia," because 
they caused indigestion, or "biliousness," or the liver complaint, because 
the bowels were constipated, and the skin sallow and rusty, for the cure of 
which many people have taken mercury or blue pill, mandrake and other 
physic, which perhaps gave a little temporary relief, but never cured any- 
body. They have treated the symptoms and not the disease which caused 
them. They call the disease " dyspepsia," " liver complaint'* "biliousness," 
"the blues," "nervous debility," &c, which are only symptoms of the dis- 



70 DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 

ease which causes them. They never understood the true nature of the 
diseases of the digestive organs causing these symptoms, and for that rea- 
son could not cure them, since we have no known remedies for unknown 
diseases. 

A common symptom of fever is "red cheeks," but no sensible person 
ever thinks of doctoring red cheeks ! When the fever which causes them 
is cured, the red cheeks will soon disappear. . Pain in the head, dizziness, 
impaired memory, noises in the head, specks floating before the eyes, bad 
taste in the mouth, morbid appetite, pain in the shoulders, side, breast, spine, 
and abdomen, palpitation of the heart, short breath, cold hands and feet, 
irritable kidneys, torpor of the liver, constipation, rusty skin, sallow com- 
plexion, neuralgia and rheumatism, are as much symptoms of disease of 
the organs of digestion and nutrition, as red cheeks are of fever. 

More than three-fourths of those cases of chronic disease of the organs 
of digestion, for whom the author has prescribed a successful course of 
hygiene and medical treatment for the last twenty years, have stated that 
they had been doctored for " liver complaint," " dyspepsia," " general de- 
bility," ''nervousness," " spinal disease," " heart complaint," "rheumatism/' 
"neuralgia," &c, and that they had "doctored far and near," had taken 
all sorts of remedies, and were no better, that they had tried "electricity," 
"turkish baths," "oxygen gas," &c., without any benefit. That is they 
had all taken remedies for their symptoms, and not for the disease which 
caused them. 

How to Cure Diseases of the Organs of Digestion. 

The very first thing to be done to cure chronic disease of the organs of 
digestion and nutrition, is to stop abusing the stomach ! A man in perfect 
health can do a hard day's work without injury, while it would kill a sickly 
man to work an hour. And yet how few invalids appear to understand, that 
while a healthy stomach can digest three hearty meals every day, a diseased 
one cannot digest one meal. Heavy indigestible food is as injurious to 
an inflamed, ulcerated, or diseased stomach, as hard work is to an invalid. 

A healthy stomach secretes about twelve pounds of gastric juice every 
twenty-four hours, while a diseased one often secretes only a few ounces, 
and consequently, its power to digest food is greatly diminished. It re- 
quires four or five hours for a healthy, vigorous stomach to digest a hearty 
meal, and during all of this time the stomach is kept hard at work, and 
in constant motion, continually forcing the food round its cavity, constantly 
rubbing its inward surfaces against the food contained in its cavity, and 
submitting it to a kind of churning motion, to dissolve and digest it. When 
the delicate mucous membrane lining the stomach and intestinal canal is 
irritated, inflamed or ulcerated, this constant motion and friction irritates 
still more and more its mucous surface, and increases the disease ! 



DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 71 

In all cases of disease of the stomach and organs of digestion, it will 
be necessary to give them as little work to do as possible. For this pur- 
pose, the treatment should be commenced with very simple and easily 
digested food. Having experimented largely with many kinds of food, the 
author is fully convinced that there is no diet that will agree so universally 
as boiled sweet milk and lime water. Boiled milk will digest when the 
stomach is so irritable and weak that it cannot digest raw milk, and the 
addition of a little lime water will prevent fermentation, and the forma- 
tion of gas and acids. The author has never yet met with a stomach so 
weak and irritable that milk and lime water would not be digested. It is 
often necessary to continue this kind of diet for several weeks, with no 
other food, until the stomach acquires sufficient strength to digest it. 

Boiled rice, sago and tapioca, will digest in about one hour, in a healthy 
stomach, while it requires about three hours to digest good wheat bread. 
Continue the milk and lime water, until the stomach can digest it without 
much inconvenience, then add a little boiled rice, sago or tapioca, and as 
the stomach becomes stronger , a little boiled fresh white fish, then boiled 
lamb and mutton, gradually increasing the diet, and carefully observing 
that it is well digested, without any pain, or feeling of fulness, or other 
inconvenience. Use no soups of any kind. It requires four hours for a 
healthy stomach to digest beef soup ! 

It is a very difficult task to adapt the diet to the wants of a diseased 
stomach, and it requires very nice discrimination, and great experience, 
founded upon long observation, to do so successfully. Any cheap quack 
doctor can dose a poor ignorant, superstitious invalid, with mandrake pills 
and whiskey bitters, until he dies, but it requires a profound physiologist, 
a good chemist, and a first-rate cook, to know how to prepare food adapted 
to a diseased stomach. 

Again, to cure diseases of the organs of digestion, the invalid must 
stop taking pukes, purges, and harsh, drastic irritating and stimulating re- 
medies. Many sick people will tell you that they have been ill ten, twenty, 
thirty, and even forty years, and have taken bushels of mandrake and 
Indian vegetable pills, bitters, &c, and "the more they take the more they 
have to take," and that " they are sick and tired of doctoring," &c. Now, 
is it not amazing that any human being, endowed with a particle of com- 
mon sense, will continue such an insane course of treatment for years, and 
grow worse all of the time, until death finally puts an end to their torments ? 
"Why, in the name of reason and common sense, do they not stop taking 
remedies that irritate the diseased mucous membrane lining the digestive 
canal, and make them grow worse all of the time, until it finally kills 
them? 



72 DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 

"When the stomach and organs of digestion are worn out, they need rest, 
and not stimulation. The gastric juice is the only true digestive fluid 
which can soften and digest our food, and when this fluid is deficient in 
quantity or quality, neither pills or bitters can take its place. Cathartics 
increase the irritation of the mucous membrane lining the intestinal canal, 
and by virtue of this increased irritation, they act as purgatives. They 
are only useful when any one has eaten injurious or unwholesome food, 
which causes great irritation and distress, or to remove poisonous and irri- 
tating substances from the cavity of the intestinal canal, and should be used 
with great caution, and only for a very short time. When used habitually 
by those in perfect health, they will soon create disease of the organs of 
digestion. Bitters composed of gentian, columbo, quassia, aloes, &c, and 
steeped in whiskey, have no power to digest our food. When taken be- 
fore eating they often stimulate the appetite, causing many invalids to eat 
too much , and then create feverishness and excitement of the circulation 
and irritation of the mucous membrane, during the process of digestion. 
Having tested very extensively the value of purgatives for the cure of 
habitual constipation, and "bitters" for the cure of irritation, inflammation, 
ulceration and other diseases of the mucous membrane lining the intestinal 
canal, for the last twenty-five years, the author has finally come to the con- 
clusion that they only increase the disease, and consequently do more harm 
than good. 

The gastric juice which digests our food, is composed of water, holding 
in solution pepsin, chlorohydric and lactic acids. It is often called the 
rennet, and when obtained from the stomach of the calf or pig, is used to 
coagulate milk, and for the manufacture of cheese, &c. When this fluid 
has been obtained from the calves' stomach it is found to possess the most 
wonderful solvent powers. Bread, meat, vegetables and fruit, are quickly 
dissolved and digested by its action, outside of the body. Now when the 
human stomach has been abused, and is worn out by long continued use 
of indigestible and unwholesome food and drink, and has finally become 
irritated and inflamed, or ulcerated, rest and sufficient time for recovery 
may often be secured, by the use of small quantities of the most simple, 
nourishing and easily digested food, and the use of a little pepsin, prepared 
from the calves' stomach to digest it. It should be of good quality and 
prepared with great care, and without the use of wine or alcohol It is 
a curious and instructive fact worthy of the attention of dram drinkers, 
that alcohol coagulates pepsin, or the active principle of the gastric juice, 
and renders it comparatively inert. All alcoholic beverages or "whiskey 
bitters," taken with our food to aid digestion, only increase the disease. 
All drain drinkers soon become dyspeptics, and finally confirmed invalids. 



DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 73 

Mixing whiskey with albumen for invalids such as "milk punch," and 
" egg nog," is simply an absurdity. Whiskey coagulates and hardens the 
albumen rendering it as tough as leather, and exceeding indigestible. In 
fact it is only a useless waste of time, and throwing away valuable medicine, 
to try to cure indigestion in those who use alcoholic beverages. 

Much of the pepsin in the market is found, upon an examination, to 
be utterly worthless, from its improper method of preparation. The au- 
thor has tried numerous samples, and found many of them inert, and for 
that reason prefers to extract this digestive fluid from the fresh calves' 
stomach, combining with it a little chlorohydric and lactic acids, for its 
preservation, and a little quinine and nux vomica to increase its tonic 
properties, forming a kind of digestion restorative which he has used 
extensively in his private practice for many years, with great satisfaction. 
It contains no alcohol or other stimulants, and is free from all purgative 
or irritating qualities. It is an artificial digestive fluid, as near like that 
prepared by nature to digest our food as it is possible for the chemist to 
prepare, and is purely restorative in its action. 

But it must not be forgotten by invalids that pepsin, or any other rem- 
edy, no matter however useful it may be in its place, cannot regulate bad 
habits, or change injurious and unhealthy employments, or reconcile vari- 
ous wicked and sinful indulgences in eating and drinking, with good 
health ! 

The mere use of any remedy, however valuable, will not be sufficient to 
cure diseases of the digestive organs, or any of their dangerous complica- 
tions. " Pain and disease are the punishment of sin." "We must cease 
to wickedly abuse the organs of digestion by violating the natural laws 
which govern their growth, and maintain their healthy action. No part 
of the treatment of diseases of the organs of digestion is so important as 
the diet, and without the most careful attention to this all-important mat- 
ter there is no possibility of a cure. The diet must be carefully adapted 
to the wants of each particular case, to insure the most prompt and cer- 
tain relief. Food which agrees very well with one person will not always 
agree with another. 

The stomach is so weak and irritable in some persons, that no kind of food 
can be digested except with extreme difficulty. In some persons even a few 
swallows of water will cause pain in the stomach, followed by vomiting. In 
such cases it is best to commence with very small quantities of milk and lime 
water — one part lime water and two parts milk. Take from a tea to a 
tablespoonful once an hour, and continue this low diet for a week or two, 
or until the stomach becomes stronger. After trying many kinds of food 
in inflammation and ulceration of the stomach, the author has never been 



74 DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 

able to find any thing which would take the place of good, new, sweet 
milk, and lime water, in small quantities. 

When the stomach becomes a little stronger, and the power of digestion 
improved, then a little oatmeal gruel may be used, or a little sago, tapioca, 
or farina, using only small quantities at a time. Quite as much depends 
upon quantity as quality. Most invalids have an idea the more they can 
eat, the more strength they will have. This a very common and most inju- 
rious error. It is not the quantity we eat, but that which is digested, which 
nourishes and strengthens the body. It may seem almost impossible for 
any one accustomed to fare sumptuously, to eat and drink what the appe- 
tite craves, that they shall subsist on milk and lime water. Yet the 
author can assure all such invalids that many persons have done so, and 
been rewarded with complete restoration to health. Now, it does not fol- 
low that because an invalid is compelled to live on this low diet for the 
restoration of health, therefore they will be compelled to live on it all of 
the rest of their lives. 

Dietetic Rules. 

A healthy man may eat almost any kind of food in moderation, but an 
invalid must live more prudently. 

Low Diet. 

Breakfast should consist of fresh boiled milk, with a little lime water 
if it causes flatulency or a feeling of fulness ; gruel made of oatmeal, toast, 
unfermented brown bread at least one day old, "hard tack," or pilot bread. 
The quantity not to exceed one teacupful of fluid, and three or four ounces 
of solid food. 

Dinner may consist of chicken broth, with rice, fresh, sweet milk, ar- 
row root, sago, tapioca, stale wheat bread, or rice pudding without eggs. 
Quantity not to exceed six ounces in bulk. 

Supper — oatmeal gruel, arrow root, sago, farina, or stale bread, only. 
Quantity not exceeding six ounces. It is only in cases of extreme ill- 
health that it becomes necessary to restrict the diet to this extent. 

Middle Diet. 

Breakfast — weak bkck tea, boiled milk, dry toast made of brown bread, 
oatmeal or white corn mush, hard tack. Quantity, six ounces in bulk. 

Dinner — chicken broth, beef tea, boiled fresh white fish, boiled lamb or 
mutton, potatoes, asparagus, stale wheat bread, maccaroni or rice pudding. 
Quantity, eight ounces in bulk. 

Supper — a little oatmeal gruel, or a cup of sago or arrow root. Quan- 
tity not to exceed six ounces. 

This course of diet is best adapted to those who have injured them- 
selves by over eating, or where health has been injured by various excesses. 



diseases caused by indigestion. 75 

Full Diet. 
Breakfast — black tea or chocolate, toast, stale bread, and butter, boiled 
milk, oatmeal or white corn mush, and hard tack. 

Dinner — boiled lamb, mutton or chicken, mutton-chops, rump steak, 
roast or boiled beef, bread pudding, boiled rice or hominy, tapioca pud- 
ding, &c. 

Supper — bread and butter, dry toast, sago, arrowroot, farina, cornstarch 
or tapioca, and a cup of milk. 

What to Avoid Eating. 

Invalids should not eat the following: 

Cream, Mashed potatoes, Sprats, 

New bread, Sausages, Eels, 

Hot rolls, Stuffing of meats, Cheese, 

Fat bacon, Smoked beef, Pastry, 

Buns, Salt meat, Salads, 

Sweet biscuit, Salt fish, Kaw vegetables, 

Eich soup, Peas and beans, Cucumbers, 

Beef, Fried fish, Eadishes, 

Pork, Boiled salmon, Lettuce, 

Yeal, Mackerel, Nuts, 

Ham, Catfish, Cocoanuts, 

Fried potatoes, Fried mush, Fried cakes, 

Green tea, Coffee, Chocolate. 

The skin should be sponged all over every morning, with cool or cold 
salt and water, and after sponging wipe dry, and rub the skin vigorously 
with a coarse towel or fleshbrush. Then knead the surface of the skin 
over the abdomen with your hands, thoroughly, for at least ten minutes. 
If constipated, drink a glass of cold water before shampooing the surface 
of the abdomen, to stimulate the digestive organs to healthy action. Ex- 
ercise in the open air half an hour before breakfast. Avoid fatigue or 
over-excitement soon after eating food. Take plenty of light exercise 
between meals, in the sunlight and open air, but not just before or imme- 
diately after eating. Lay aside all books or papers, except for amusement. 

In conclusion, aH invalids should remember that no man can be healthy 
and happy, until he studies and understands the laws of his own being, and 
obeys them. However graciously the good Being deals with the hearts of 
mankind, all observation and experience proves that he never pardons the 
stomach or the liver. These organs of our bodies must expiate the penalties 
attached to the disobedience of the laws governing their development and 
healthy action unvicariously I Medicines and other remedies, may be useful 
in their proper places, to relieve fits of ache or pain, yet the re-establish- 
ment and maintenance of health depend upon different powers and prin- 
ciples. 



76 DISEASES CAUSED BY INDIGESTION. 

Pain and disease, and premature death are the punishments of sin, and 
sin consists in the violation of some one or more of the sacred and divine 
laws, which govern the growth and maintain the healthy action of our phy- 
sical, mental or moral natures. All pain and disease are assigned by the 
all wise and good Being for our good. First, by informing us that we 
have done wrong — that we have wickedly violated a law of our being., and 
then compelling us to reform or live more prudently, in order that we may 
be happy. It is as absurd for any human being to violate any of the 
known laws of health, and then when overtaken with pain and disease, as 
the proper penalties attached to their violation, to expect to take medicines 
to reconcile his sinful way of living with happiness in this world, as it would 
be for him to violate all of the known moral laws of our being, and then 
take pills and physic to prepare him for the enjoyment of heavenly bliss in 
the world to come. 

The science of human physiology teaches us that pain, disease, suffering 
and premature death, are the penalties which the Creator has attached to 
the violation of the laws of health, and that "good health" and long life, 
are the just and proper reward of obedience of the laws which he has es- 
tablished to govern the healthy action of our physical, mental and moral 
natures, which man in his intelligence is capable of appreciating, studying 
and obeying. 

Numerous formulae for the treatment of various diseases of the organs 
of digestion, will be found in the appendix. 



CIRCULATION OP THE BLOOD. 



77 



LECTURE IX. 

CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 

The organs concerned in the circulation of the blood consist of the heart, 
which is the great central organ of the circulation, and numerous thick, 

Fig. 4? 

A 




The Heart, and Origin of the Principal Blood Vessels. 



78 



CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 



strong, elastic tubes called arteries, which carry the bright red arterial blood 
out into all parts of the body, to nourish them, and the numerous thin blue 
veins which return the old, dark, worn out and impure, venous blood to the 
heart again, after it has yielded up its nutritive elements to all of the tis- 
sues of the body, and becomes loaded with various poisonous and impure 
substances, so that it may receive more nourishment from the food we eat, 
and then be sent out into the lungs, where it is brought in contact with 
the air we breathe, and is cleansed and purified, and has " breathed into it 
the breath of life," and is rendered a living fluid, and is then sent out again 
into all parts of the body to nourish them. 

The Heart. 

The heart is situated behind the breast bone in the cavity of the chest, 
and between the lungs. It is inclined diagonally across the cavity of the 
chest, so that its base or upper extremity is directed towards the right 
shoulder, and its apex or lower extremity toward the left side, (see fig. 19.) 
The heart is surrounded by a thick, strong membranous sack called the 
pericardium or heart case, which serves the purpose of attaching the heart 
to the spine, and retaining it in its proper place in the cavity of the chest. 
The heart case is also lined with a thin delicate, serous membrane, which 
secretes a small quantity of a fluid called serum, which lubricates the sur- 
face of the heart, and prevents it from being chafed and irritated, as it 
otherwise soon would be from the friction resulting from its constant 
motion. 

■p 40 During the progress of rheumatic fever, 

sometimes the lining surface of the heart 
case becomes inflamed, inducing that disease 
called "pericarditis." When neglected, or 
improperly treated, this disease may result in 
the effusion of water into the cavity of the 
heart case, causing dropsy of the heart case, 
or hi/drop pericardium. It is the liability 
of this occurrence which always renders 
rheumatic fever such a critical and danger- 
ous disease, being so often followed by or- 
ganic disease of the heart. 

The human heart is conical in shape, 
measuring about six inches in length, and 
four inches in breadth, and weighs about 
twelve ounces. It is said to be somewhat 
larger in the male than in the female, but the female heart is said to make 
up in superiority of quality all that it lacks in quantity, being so much 




Pericarditis. The Pericardium is 
partly removed from the surface of 
the heart seen covered with lymph. 



CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 



79 



siceeter in women than in men. The heart is also a double organ, not, I 
trust, in the poetic sense of a true and false heart, but anatomically it is 
divided into a right and left side. The right side of the heart contains 
two cavities, called the right auricle and right ventricle, and is connected 
with the two principal veins above and below the heart, called the ascend- 
ing and descending vena cava, and only designed to circulate the dark, 
impure venous blood. The left side of the heart also contains two cavi- 
ties, called the left auricle and left ventricle, and is connected with the 
principal artery called the aorta, and is only concerned in circulating the 



bright red arterial blood. 



Fig. 44. 







•* Interior of the Heart, containing four Cavities. 

The right upper cavity of the heart is separated from the right lower 
cavity by a thin floor or partition, containing a small opening called a 
valve, which opens and shuts every time the heart beats. From the inner 
margin of this valve, fine, white, silvery cords are seen attaching themselves 
to the fleshy columns arising from the interior of the heart. 

The blue veins arise in minute branches from all parts of the body, and 
uniting together finally form two principal veins, above and below the 
heart, called the ascending and descending vena cava, which terminate in 
the right upper cavity, called the right auricle. 



80 



CIRCULATION OP THE BLOOD 



Fig. 45. 



If we examine the 
lower extremities as seen 
in the accompanying il- 
lustration, we shall notice 
upon the toes and feet 
great numbers of little 
blue veins, which soon 
become larger by coales- 
cing with each other as 
they ascend the limbs, 
towards the heart, just as 
we see many little brooks 
joining together to form 
a river. The principal 
veins of the legs ascend 
along the inside of the 
knee joints, and are call- 
ed the internal saphena 
veins, which soon enter 
the cavity of the abdo- 
men and unite together, 
forming one large vein in 
front of the spine, called 
the ascending vena cava, 
which soon terminates in 
the right upper chamber 
of the heart. (See Fig. 
42.) Sometimes the veins 
of the legs become dilated 
and enlarged, in conse- 
quence of standing too 
much upon the feet, pre- 
senting an enlarged, tor- 
tuous or knotty appear- 
ance beneath the skin, 
called varicose veins of the 
legs. When the blood ves- 
sels become dilated in this 
way, the blood does not circulate, but accumulates in the dilated veins, caus- 
ing the limbs and feet to swell or "stock" so much during the day, while stand- 
ing, that it is with difficulty the clothing can be removed from the feet at 
night. When the blood accumulates in the dilated veins in this way, it 




The Heart, Arteries, and Veins. 



CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 



81 



will often cause severe cramps in the limbs at night, for the cure of which 
many ignorant and superstitious people are in the habit of fastening flax 
round the leg below the knee, with the knot on the left side, in the "new 
of the moon/' All such ligatures will only increase the difficulty by still 
further arresting the circulation in the legs. Elastic stockings, composed 
of silk and soft rubber, worn during the day, are the only palliative of this 
infirmity. It is often cured, in severe cases, by a surgical operation. 

When the circulation of the blood becomes slow and imperfect in the 
legs, on account of enlargement of the veins, the blood vessels sometimes 
become inflamed and suppurate, forming indolent ulcers, called dead sores, 



Fig. 46. 




Indolent Ulceration. 



which discharge a thin briny fluid, and 
will not heal like an ordinary ulcer, be- 
cause the blood does not circulate, nour- 
ish and repair the waste and disease of 
the parts. These indolent ulcers caused 
by dilated veins may be quite small, or 
may extend entirely around the limb, 
and are very annoying and troublesome. 
It will be useless to try to cure them by 
the use of ordinary salves and ointments 
as long as the person afflicted continues 
to work standing upon the feet. 

If any one afflicted with indolent ul- 
cers of the legs lays down, with the feet 
well raised up, the blood will return 
towards the heart, and the swelling and redness soon disappear. "Wash 
the ulcers three times a day with a weak solution of carbolic acid and 
water, and then dress them with the colloid styptic (see appendix), and 
keep the ulcerated limbs in this position until the ulcers heal. 

If we examine the fingers and hand we shall discover numerous little 
blue veins, which run into each other as they ascend the arms towards 
the heart, and when they reach the neck they unite with the larger blue 
veins coming down on each side, called the jugular veins, forming a large 
but short vein, called the descending vena cava, which also terminates in 
the right upper chamber of the heart. 

We have thus seen how all the old, worn out, impure venous blood is 
collected by means of these large veins and their numerous small branches, 
from all parts of the body, and is poured into the right upper chamber of 
the heart. The right upper chamber of the heart will contain about two 
ounces of blood, and when it dilates or enlarges, it exerts a kind of suction 
influence upon the blood contained in the large veins, drawing it into its 



82 



CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 



cavity. If by accident a small opening is made into either of the large 
veins near the heart, when the right auricle dilates its cavity it will be 
filled with air, and 'so arrest the circulation of the blood, and prove fatal 
in a few moments. In all surgical operations near the heart, this accident 
must be carefully guarded against. 

As soon as the right upper chamber of the heart is filled with venous 
blood its thin walls contract, and force the blood down through the tricus- 
ped valve into the right lower chamber, the walls of which in turn con- 
tract, causing the blood to flow backward, against the cords of the tricus- 
pid valve, forcing them together so as to close the opening in the centre 
of the valve, in the same way that a current of air closes a door or shut- 
ter. The valve being closed so that the blood cannot escape backwards 
into the right upper chamber of the heart, it is forced through the semi- 
lunar valves into the pulmonary artery, and out into the lungs, as seen in 
Fig. 47. 



Fig. 47. 



The pulmonary ar- 
tery, which transmits 
the dark, impure ven- 
ous blood from the 
right lower chamber 
of the heart out into 
the lungs, divides in- 
to a great number of 
small branches called 
capillaries, which 
form a delicate net- 
work of blood vessels, 
covering the air cells 
of the lungs. As 
soon as the right 
lower chamber of the 
heart contracts, and 
forces the dark, im- 
pure venous blood 
out through the pul- 
monary artery into 
the little network of capillaries covering the walls of the air cells, then we 
draw in a full breath of air, and the air we breathe passes down through 
the windpipe into the little air bags, or cells, into which it terminates, fill- 
ing their cavities with air, and instantly changing the dark venous blood 
contained in the little capillaries from the darkest venous hue to the 




Interior of the Heart and Lungs, exhibiting the Windpipe termi- 
nating in the Air Cells, with the dark Pulmonary Artery and the 
Pulmonary Vein. 



CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 83 

brightest scarlet red, cleansing and removing from the venous blood its 
poisonous carbonic acid, and breathing into it the vital principle called 
oxygen, which renders it a living fluid, and fits it to nourish and repair 
the wear and waste of all of the tissues and organs of the body. 

As soon as the blood has been cleansed and purified in the lungs, it 
passes over the surface of the air cells through the minute capillaries, and 
reaches the pulmonary veins, which bring it back, and pour it into the 
left upper chamber of the heart. 

The Left Side of the Heart. 

The left side of the human heart bears a general resemblance to the 
right side, only it is much thicker and stronger. It is composed of the 
left auricle or deaf ear, and the left ventricle, which are separated from 
each other by a thin partition, containing an opening called the mitral 
valve, from its fancied resemblance to the bishop's mitre. 

The left lower chamber of the heart gives off the principal artery, which 
is about one inch in diameter, and is called the aorta, and which soon di- 
vides and subdivides into great multitudes of branches, which are distri- 
buted to all parts of the body, (as in fig. 45.) 

Arterial Circulation. 

When the left upper chamber of the heart dilates and increases the size 
of its cavity, it exerts a kind of suction influence upon the blood contained 
in the pulmonary veins in the lungs, drawing it out of the lungs into its 
cavity, and as soon as it is filled with bright red, arterial blood, then 
its walls contract, diminish the size of its cavity, forcing the blood down 
through the opening called the mitral valve, into the left lower cham- 
ber, the walls of which are very thick and strong, and immediately con- 
tract with great power, diminishing the size of its cavity, and causing the 
current of blood to return towards the left upper chamber, and in doing 
so, it presses against the sides of the valve, and closes it; and when 
the blood cannot escape through the closed mitral valve into the left 
upper chamber of the heart, it is forced out through the mouth of the 
principal artery called the aorta, and by its numerous branches it is car- 
ried to all parts of the body, to nourish and preserve theni in health. 

The aorta is about one inch in diameter, and after giving off two small 
branches called the coronary arteries, to nourish the heart, then forms an 
arch above the heart, which gives off large branches to the head and 
arms, and then turns downwards behind the heart, (see fig. 42,) and en- 
tering the cavity of the abdomen, sends branches to the stomach, liver, 
kidneys, the large and small intestine, &c, and then divides into two 
principal branches, which are distributed to the legs. 



84 



circulation of the blood. 
Capillary Blood Vessels. 



Having divided into a great multitude of small oranches, the arteries 



Fig. 48. 




Capillaries of the Web of a Frog's Foot, highly mag- 
nified, showing the Circulation of the Blood through 
them. 

mechanic to build or repair a dwelling ! 



finally terminate in minute hair 
like blood-vessels, called the ca- 
pillaries, through which the 
blood circulates into the small 
veins, and then returns to the 
heart again. 

While the blood circulates 
through the minute capillaries 
of all of the different tissues 
and organs of the body, (as seen 
in fig. 48, showing a part of the 
web of a frog's foot,) the little 
blood cells unite with the differ- 
ent tissues and organs to build 
them up, and repair their wear 
and waste, much in the same 
way that bricks and mortar are 
used in the hands of a skillful 



Endo Carditis. 

The interior surface of the human heart is of a pale pink color, and 
sometimes becomes inflamed, especially during the progress of rheumatic 
fever, producing that disease known as endo carditis or inflammation of the 
Fig. 49. interior of the heart. This form of heart 

disease is accompanied with fever and great 
excitement of the pulse, with copious de- 
posits of urate of lime, or red gravel in the 
urine, &c. 

Inflammation of the interior of the heart 
is a very dangerous disease, and when it is 
neglected or improperly treated may result 
in the effusion of plastic lymph from the 
blood, forming numerous firm bands inside 
of the heart, or adhesions attaching the 
valves to the interior of the heart, so that 
they cannot open and close when the heart 
contracts and dilates to circulate the blood. 




Endo Carditis. 



In other cases of endo carditis, when the 



CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 



85 



Fig. 50. 




disease is not promptly arrested by the 
use of the most prompt, active and ef- 
ficient treatment, effusions of calcareous 
or limy matter take place, followed by 
ossification of the valves of the heart, 
resulting in incurable organic disease 
of this important organ. 

Treatment of Endo Carditis. 

The best treatment for inflammation 
of the interior of the heart will be that 
which is found to be most successful 
for the cure of rheumatism, namely : 
careful regulation of the diet, avoid the 
use of food containing starch or sugar, 
and all substances capable of forming 
lactic acid in the blood. Absolute rest 
and quiet is indispensable. The vio- 
lent excitement of the heart should be 
controlled by the use of a few drops of 
tincture of digitalis, or tincture of aconite, (see formula in appendix.) 

The accumulation of lactic acid in the 
blood which is the cause of this disease, 
may be removed by the use of the various 
alkalies and their neutral salts, such as the 
bicarbonate and acetate of potash, &c, (see 
formula.) 

Action of the Human Heart. 

The heart is one of the most interesting 
organs of the human body. It is frequent- 
ly spoken of as being the seat of our pas- 
sions, as well as our moral sentiments. 
Sometimes it is said to be very bitter, and 
then again very sweet; sometimes wicked, 
and then good; sometimes very hard, and 
then tender A great variety of sensations, 
feelings, emotions and passions, are said to animate this interesting organ 
by the older poets and classical mythologists, and I am very much disin- 
clined to dispel any of their poetical or classical illusions, and yet I am 
required as an anatomist to assert that the human heart is as void of feeling 
during life, as a stick or a stone. 



Organic Disease of the Interior of the Heart. •' 
Formation of Fibrous Bands attaching the 
Valve to the inBide of the Heart. 



Fig. 51. 




Ossification of the Valves of the Heart 
from Rheumatism. 



86 CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 

The cardiac branches of the pneumogastric nerves have no sensibility 
whatever. These nerves transmit power from the brain to the muscles of 
the heart, causing this organ alternately to dilate and contract, forcing the 
blood out through the red rivers of life, into all parts of the body to nour- 
ish them. If we cut the heart with a knife, or pierce it with a pin, it will 
not produce the slightest pain. 

Anatomists assign to the human brain the manifestation of feeling, and 
to the human heart the circulation of the blood, and when we come to 
study it in reference to its true functions, it will lose nothing in interest 
or importance. 

The human heart beats about seventy times a minute, four thousand 
two hundred times an hour, and more than one hundred thousand times 
every twenty-four hours. Every time the heart beats, two ounces of blood 
pass through its mysterious and wonderful chambers, one hundred and 
forty ounces each minute, more than two hogsheads of blood every hour, 
and more than eight tons of blood every twenty-four hours ! 

Now if we were to live to attain the age of Thomas Par of England, 
one hundred and forty-five years old, and we could collect all of the blood 
which had circulated through our hearts in this long life time, and load it 
in wagons, each wagon containing two tons, and drawn by four horses, 
covering three rods j then the train of horses and wagons which would be 
required to transport all of the blood which had circulated through the 
heart, would reach more than three thousand miles ! Verily, it is true 
that physiology, as well as astronomy, has its passing wonders. 

The human heart is estimated to contract with a force equal to about 
thirteen pounds, and to circulate the blood with such rapidity, that it all 
runs through the heart as often as once in two minutes, twenty-eight se- 
conds of time ! 

How to Stop Bleedino. 
When we divide the femoral artery above the knee, the human being 
will bleed to death in about one minute. When we divide the brachial 
artery above the elbow, in one minute and a half. When the carotid ar- 
teries in each side of the neck are divided, in half a minute ! No human 
being is exempt from the ordinary accidents incident to life, and hence 
the great practical importance of understanding the location of the princi- 
pal arteries of the body, and how to stop bleeding in case of accident and 
injury especially in this age of railroads, steamboats, &c, when accidents 
destructive of life and limb are continually occurring. 

Our temples and foreheads are supplied with blood by means of two large 
blood vessels which ascend close in front of our ears (see Fig. 42), called 
the temporal arteries. When any of the numerous small branches of the 



CIRCULATION OP THE BLOOD. 87 

temporal arteries on our temples or foreheads are injured by accident, the 
bleeding can instantly be arrested by gentle pressure upon the principal 
artery close in front of the ear. 

Each side of our face, nose, lips, &c, are supplied with blood by means 
of two principal blood vessels, called the facial arteries, which creep up 
over the sides of the under jaw, about half-way from the front of the 
chin to the angle or corner of the jaw, as seen in Fig. 42, and send nu- 
merous small branches to the sides of the face, lips, nose, &c. When any 
of these small branches are injured by accident, the hemorrhage or bleed- 
ing may be arrested immediately, by gentle pressure upon the facial artery 
where it crosses over the surface of the lower jaw. 

In severe hemorrhage or bleeding from the nose, raise up the upper lip 
and place a firm roll of bandage, three inches wide and an inch in diameter, 
beneath the lip and resting against the surface of the upper jaw and teeth. 

Our arms are supplied with blood by means of large blood vessels called 
the brachial or humeral arteries, which at the elbow divide into two 
principal branches, called the ulna and radial arteries, which form an arch 
inside the palm of the hand, called the palmar arch, which gives off nu- 
merous little branches to the sides of the fingers. When we injure by 
accident any of these numerous arteries of the arm, hand or fingers, the 
hemorrhage or bleeding may be arrested immediately by gentle pressure 
upon the principal artery inside the arm, above the elbow. (See Fig. 52.) 

This is best accomplished by twisting a Fig. 52. 

pocket handkerchief, and tieing a hard knot 
in the middle of it, and applying it around 
the arm, with the knot on the side next 
the body, over the artery, A. B. Tie it firmly, 
and then passing a short stick or pocket knife 
handle beneath the handkerchief twist it so 
as to make firm pressure upon the principal 
artery. 

The legs are supplied with blood by means 
of the large blood' vessels called the femoral 
arteries, and which escape from the cavity of 
the abdomen near the middle of the front 
part of each leg, and wind around the legs 
on the inside, as they descend, and are seen Arm or Han(L 
behind the knee joint, between the hamstring cords, where they divide 
into two principal branches, called the anterior and posterior tibial arteries, 
and these in turn subdivide into many branches upon the feet, &c. 

When any of these numerous branches are divided or injured by acci- 
dent, we can arrest the hemorrhage, or stop the bleeding immediately, by 




How to stop Bleeding from the 




OS CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. 

compressing the principal artery near the point where it escapes from the 
cavity of the abdomen, in the centre of the front part of the leg, as seen 
p IG 53 in Fig. 53, A C. At this point, near 

the body, the principal artery pulsates 
distinctly, and it may be easily com- 
pressed by the use of a pocket hand- 
kerchief or cravat. Twist the cra- 
vat by holding the opposite corners, 
and then tie a hard knot in the mid- 
dle. Tie this firmly around the leg, 
near the body, with the hard knot in 
front, near the middle of the limb. 
Twist the handkerchief with a short 
stick beneath it, so as to make firm 
pressure, and the hemorrhage or bleed- 
ing will cease almost immediately. 
How to stop Bleeding from the Leg, Foot, Ac. When the bleeding has ceased, 

wash out the wound carefully with cold water, and if only some of the small 
branches have been injured they will contract, and their mouths will be 
filled with little plugs of plastic lymph from the blood, in a few mo- 
ments, and the bleeding will be arrested permanently. But when the 
principal arteries are injured it would be unsafe to depend upon such an 
occurrence, and firm pressure must be continued until the surgeon can be 
sent for, who will tie the wounded blood vessel with a thread of silk. 

To allay pain and cause any wound to heal by the first intention, with- 
out suppuration or the formation of matter, all cuts and wounds should be 
carefully washed out with a weak solution of carbolic acid, containing one 
drachm of the acid to one pint of water, and after washing bring the 
edges of the cut carefully together with a few stitches or strips of adhe- 
sive plaster, and then apply a little lint saturated with the colloid styptic 
composed of washed sulphuric ether one ounce, tannin two drachms, col- 
lodion thirty grains, and cover with a well-adjusted bandage. This dress- 
ing allays pain and excludes the air, causing any wound to heal rapidly, 
and without suppuration or the necessity of cleansing and re-dressing. 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN HEART. 89 



LECTURE X. 
HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN HEART. 

The position of the body will exert an important influence upon the 
action of the heart and circulation of the blood. When we lay down to 
rest our hearts beat slowly. In all fevers and inflammatory diseases, at- 
tended with an increased activity of the heart and circulation of the blood, 
rest, in the recumbent position, is of the first importance to rapid recovery. 
All diseases of an inflammatory character are prolonged, and the danger 
greatly increased, by maintaining an erect position of the body, more 
especially while standing and walking about. When we stand up the heart 
beats much faster than when we lay down. Exercise stimulates the heart 
to increased activity. 

Physical, mental and moral employments are nature's own tonics, to in- 
vigorate and strengthen the organs concerned in the circulation of the blood. 
Man is, indeed, the creature of action. From the period of his birth 
until he disappears from the stage of life, the various organs of the body 
exhibit one continuous round of busy employment, and however unpleas- 
ant it may be to the idle and indolent, still they must learn that there is 
no excellence which can be secured — either physical, mental or moral — but 
by unceasing exertion. Idleness and indolence are, indeed, the greatest 
physical, mental and moral curses. They are the pale and withering pes- 
tilence which dry up the fountains of life, and envelope the noblest senti- 
ments and faculties of man in an impenetrable cloud of darkness and 
ignorance ! 

Poets and metaphysicians may talk of genius, and the innate powers of 
the human mind, but that quality which renders one man more scccessful 
than another is the genius of industry, which overcomes all obstacles, and 
accomplishes all results. 

Says Groethe, the great G-erman poet, "the longer I live, and the more 
closely I observe mankind, the more clearly I see that what the world 
calls genius is but another word for indomitable energy and ceaseless activ- 
ity, and nothing but energy and activity ever yet did transform a two- 
legged animal into a man I" 

Trim again the midnight lamp, and by its feeble rays the silent student 
in his midnight cell mounts up the ladder of fame ! By toil he mounts 
step by step up the steep and rugged acclivities of the mount of science I 



90 HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN HEART. 

The first physicians by debauch were made ; 
Excess began, and sloth sustains the trade. 
By toil our long-lived fathers earned their food : 
Toil knit their limbs and purified their blood. 
But we, their sons — a pampered race of men — 
Have dwindled down to three-score years and ten. 
Better to hunt in fields for health, unbought, 
Than fee the Doctor for a nauseous draught. 
The wise for health on exercise depend ; 
God never made his works for man to mend. 

What but the magic and matchless influence of energy and toil has cast 
the peaceful cot of the husbandman beneath the receding shadows of our 
Western forests? What but energy, toil and activity, has covered our 
Western wilds with beautiful towns and cities? What but the same dis- 
play of indomitable energy and ceaseless activity has covered the bosom 
of every ocean with the whitening sails of our flourishing commerce? 
All hail to industry and activity! 

For my part, I would not lead a life of sickly inanimation and inglorious 
ease ! I would not sit myself down in an easy chair, and insult the mem- 
ory of our ancestors, by boasting that I live on the interest money of the 
hard earnings of a brave old father, and a glorious old mother, who now 
sleep quietly beneath the green sod of the valley. — Peace to their ashes ! 
Oh no ! I would not be so indolent and so mean, as to become a mere 
pensioner upon the honored dead ! I honor the laurels which overshadow 
the graves of our ancestors, and it is our fathers which I desire to emu- 
late, when I hope that, beneath the shadows of the evergreens and olives, 
which I myself, by mine own industry and activity shall have planted and 
watered, by and by, my ashes, like theirs, shall at last repose in peace ! 

Influence of our Passions on the Heart. 

Yery few persons have any adequate idea of the terribly depressing and 
injurious influence of our passions upon the heart and organs of the circula- 
tion. I mean anger, revenge, envy, jealousy, ambition, and all of the 
"base and fell passions" of the human heart. Many of the most cele- 
brated men that the world has ever known, have fallen victims to the 
manifestations of their own passions. The late John Hunter, whose name 
is classical in the annals of English surgery, labored under the influence 
of an organic disease of the heart, and often observed to his intimate 
friends, that he knew that his life was in the control of any worthless 
scamp who might deliberately insult him. And yet, strange to say, that 
with all of his profound knowledge of his disease and liabilities and the 
danger of excitement, he soon afterwards allowed himself to be insulted, 
and flew into a furious passion, and instantly fell dead ! 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN HEART. 91 

And so of England's greatest orator, the illustrious lord Chatham. Hav- 
ing delivered a speech in Parliament, he was replied to in no very cour- 
teous language, when he arose, under a towering passion, to retort, and 
fell down in a swoon, from which he never recovered ! 

Sometimes I am asked if I do not think it is dangerous for people who 
have disease of the heart and lungs to take chloroform ? I answer yes, 
but not near as dangerous as it is to get very mad ! 

Before the French Revolution, diseases of the human heart were almost 
unknown, but the mental perturbation and excitements incident to that 
period, soon produced so many diseases of this .important organ, that Co- 
visart, physician to Napoleon, collected a sufficient number to write the 
first important work upon the subject. 

The hazards of trade, aDd the anxieties of commerce, when men have 
heavily laden ships tossed upon the bosom of every ocean, the long nights 
of sleepless anxiety and doubt, whether vessels deeply laden with the 
wealth of the Indies, long over due, will ever enter port ; the rivalries of 
trade, when men are pitted against each other in business ; the bitter envies 
and jealousies of the professions, the despair and the vexation of poverty, 
the hatreds of sectarianism ; — these mental perturbations and excitements, 
being reflected upon the human heart, produce a fearful amount of dis- 
ease in that organ ! 

The same is true of ambition ! Many authors, poets and statesmen, 
have had different views of the origin and influence of this passion. By 
some it has been deduced from the gods themselves, and it has been re- 
presented as glowing in the breasts of kings, heroes, statesmen and philos- 
ophers. But this was not the testimony of one who had tasted all of its 
sweets, who had climbed all of its giddy heights, and who, alas ! had fa- 
thomed all of its treacherous depths, for, says he, Cromwell, " I charge 
thee, fling away ambition ! for by that mad passion the angels from heaven 
fell !" The hero of Macedon found the reward of his ambition in the 
Granicus, Hannibal in exile, Caesar in the Senate, Sidney upon the scaf- 
fold, while Sweden's mad monarch touched the goal of his ambition at 
Pultowa, Woolsey in disgrace, and Napoleon at St. Helena ! 

Influence of Our Moral Sentiments on the Heart. 

Having contemplated the disastrous influence of the manifestation of 
the passions on the heart, let us turn over another leaf in the history of 
a man's life, and study the beneficial influence of the exercise of the mo- 
ral sentiments — veneration, love, hope, charity, and the feeling of human 
brotherhood for all mankind, upon the organs of the circulation. 

Observe how the exercise of these glorious moral sentiments and feel- 
ings will stimulate and strengthen the weary heart to action, making it 



92 HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN HEART. 

literally "leap with joy," and send the blood with a thrill of rapture out 
through the red rivers of life, into all parts of the body. 

Cultivate and exercise all of these feelings and sentiments as a means of 
attaining health, strength, grace, beauty, and long life ! 

Verily, it is true, " that it is more blessed for a man to give than it is for 
a man to receive" and yet how few understand and practice this doctrine? 
A few kind words, a few smiles and nods of recognition, and a few warm 
shakings of the hand, all trifles and cost nothing, and yet they constitute 
all of the real difference any one can discern between the true lady and 
the mere woman ; between nature's nobleman and the coarse, rude boor ! 

On the ear of him who else were lonely ; who feels himself shut out 
from the world and all of its blandishments and its powers ; wrapped up 
in his own gloomy thoughts and imaginings, how sweetly will fall the 
voice of sympathy and consolation ! Is it not strange, since every day's 
observation proves to us that we are all journeying along rapidly together to 
that far-distant country from whose bourne no traveller ever yet returned, 
that we must all soon lay down together in the common mother earth, 
that we are so sparing of that which costs us nothing at all — a few kind 
words of sympathy, a few smiles and words of encouragement, which 
might otherwise cheer the weary fellow-traveller along the journey of life. 

" 'Tis a little thing 
To give a cup of water ; yet its draught 
Of cool refreshment, drain 7 d by fever 7 d lips, 
May give a shock of pleasure to the frame 
More exquisite than when nectarean juice 
Renews the life of joy in happiest hours. 
It is a little thing to speak a phrase 
Of common comfort, which by daily use 
Has almost lost its sense ; yet on the ear 
Of him who thought to die unmourn'd, 'twill fall 
Like choicest music ; fill the glazing eye 
With gentle tears ; relax the knotted hand 
To know the bonds of fellowship again ; 
And shed on the departing soul a sense 
More precious than the benison of friends 
About the honor'd death-beds of the rich, 
To him who else were lonely, that another 
Of the great family " is near and feels." 

Influence op Dress on the Heart. 
The bony frame-work of the chest is exceedingly elastic and compressi- 
ble. The heart and lungs, as you have seen (Fig. 42), are so arranged as 
to accurately fill its entire cavity, and if the dress fits closely and com- 
presses the ribs inwards against the lungs, it will diminish the size of the 
cavity of the chest, and diminish the action of the heart. 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN HEART. 93 

If a great number of our fashionable ladies could only look down 
through the mass of whalebones and buckram forming the waist of a 
dress made in the latest style, and witness the struggles of the heart to 
perform its appropriate functions, it would fill them with well-founded 
alarm. 

The amount of pain, disease, and human suffering which is produced 
by this foolish fashion can scarcely be imagined, except by those .whose 
calling renders it necessary for them to be familiar with the causes of 
disease. The heart dilates every time it beats, and if the ribs and breast- 
bone are forced inwards against it, the effect must be disastrous to health. 
How often we may notice its injurious influence upon the brain and or- 
gans of voluntary motion, in our fashionable churches, where the chests 
of the fairer portion of humanity are clad, not in steel armor, but in the 
habiliments and trappings of fashion, often diminishing the vitality and 
force of the heart's contractions to such a degree as to render it impossi- 
ble to transmit sufficient blood to the brain to maintain consciousness, 
when they faint and fall upon the floor. 

Now, all old ladies instinctively understand what makes young ladies 
faint in church, far better than any doctor can tell them ; and when such 
accidents do occur, they seize the young lady under each arm and hurry 
her out of the meeting house quickly as possible, and at the same time 
glancing their eyes around slyly to see if any of the young men are trying 
to peak, and find out what caused the young lady to faint, and the very 
moment they get behind the door and out of sight, then the way the 
strings and hooks and eyes have to fly, would astonish the uninitiated ! 

Those fashionable ladies who dress too tightly may always be recognized 
in any church, as it renders them so very weak they cannot stand up dur- 
ing service without fainting, and consequently they are compelled to sit 
down. Now, is it not monstrous blasphemy, that human beings should 
go up to the temple of worship of the living God, with chests dressed so 
tight that their eyes stick out like cups and saucers, while they gasp for 
breath? 

It is a fact not well understood by the votaries of fashion and folly, that 
whatever diminishes the powers of the human heart, also diminishes the 
amount of blood sent to the brain, and that consequently small waists and 
small brains are intimately associated with each other. Examine, if you 
will, the long catalogue of female authors, poets and scholars, those who 
have written works that will forever render their names illustrious — such 
as Madame De Stael, Miss Cook, Mrs. Hemans, Mrs. Sigourney — proud 
monuments to the genius, beauty, and good sense of woman. — Examine the 
busts of these noble women, and you will find nothing of that delicate im- 
becility and beautiful weakness so characteristic of the daughters of mo- 
7 



94 HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN HEART. 

dem fashion and folly. They all had large hearts, and great coarse waists 
to contain them. 

However lightly we may think of this subject, we are all deeply inter- 
ested in the culture and improvement of the condition of woman, for it is 
woman that must determine the future condition of man ! Color, form, fea- 
tures, consumption, scrofula, idocy and insanity are all hereditary. They 
descend from the mother to the offspring ; nor human law nor human de- 
vice can break the entailment! Thank Heaven! man in his selfishness 
and power cannot degrade woman without degrading himself. 

" The woman's cause is man's, 
They rise or sink together, dwarfed or God-like, 
Bond or free. If she be slight, ill-formed, miserable, 
How shall men grow ?" 

The mothers of America must, indeed, determine the sons of America. 
If tho mothers of this country be the mere creatures of sentiment and 
fashion, mere parlor ornaments or animated waxwork; mere playthings of 
society, then their children will be corresponding men ! Do we not read of 
the greatness of the old Roman state, and of the glories of Sparta, and 
have we forgotten that the terms Roman and Spartan mothers have been 
incorporated into every language where the deeds of Greece and Rome are 
remembered ? Shall we ever forget the mothers of the heroes and patriots 
of the American Revolution? Shades of the immortal Washington and 
Franklin ! look down upon us from your celestial spheres ; teach us the 
virtues and the value of true woman ; no mere playthings or parlor orna- 
ments, but in the glowing language of England's poet — 

" A woman nobly planned, 
To warn, to comfort, and command : 
And yet a being, still and bright, 
With something in it of an Angel light." 



DISEASES OF THE HEART. 95 



LECTURE XL 

DISEASES OF THE HEART. 

The human heart is liable to a great variety of diseases, some of which 
are merely functional, and depend upon sympathetic causes, while others 
are organic, and depend upon change of structure. 

Inertia of the Heart. 

By far the most common of all diseases of this important organ, is debility 
or inertia of the heart, causing a small, feeble or irregular pulse, vertigo 
or dizziness, noises in the head, weak and feeble circulation, coldness of 
the extremities, &c. The action of the heart depends upon the power 
derived from the brain, through the agency of the pneumogastric nerves, 
and consequently, any habit, employment or indulgence, which weakens 
and debilitates the brain and nervous system, will cause inertia of the heart. 

It is quite notorious that the habitual use of strong tea and coffee causes 
nervous debility. In fact, tea, coffee and tobacco, are the greatest known 
disturbers of the heart, and frequently cause disease of this important 
organ. Inertia of the heart may also be caused by various excesses, or 
weakening and enervating habits and indulgences, such as over excite- 
ment of the mind, over exercise of the body, excessive venery, &c. 

Cure of Inertia of the Heart. 
For the cure of this disease, it will be indispensable that the diet, 
habits and employments, shall be carefully regulated. In the first place, 
tea, coffee, and tobacco, in all of their various forms, must be totally aban- 
doned, if the invalid honestly desires to get well ; and the diet must be 
plain, simple, and nutritive, such as boiled rice, sago, tapioca, boiled fish, 
lamb, mutton, game, baked white potatoes, stale wheat bread, sweet but- 
ter, &c. Nux vomica, pyrophosphate of iron, and quinine, with the pre- 
parations of zinc, are the most valuable tonics in the treatment of this 
disease. (See formula in appendix.) 

Irritation of the Heart. 
The human heart often becomes irritated from disease of the neighbor- 
ing organs, more especially the stomach, and is often a sympathetic affec- 
tion, causing pain and tenderness through the chest in the region of the 
heart, with frequent excitement of the pulse, palpitation of the heart, greatly 
increased by exercise, with shortness of breath ; &c. 



96 



DISEASES OF THE HEART. 



Treatment. When the disease is caused by reflex nervous irritation, 
produced by diseases of the stomach and liver or other organs, the disease 
which causes it must be discovered, and removed by appropriate treatment, 
and the excitement of the heart controlled by the use of a few drops of 
tincture of aconite or digitalis, once or twice a day. (See formula in 
appendix.) 

Neuralgia of the Heart. 

The pneumogastric nerves send branches to the lungs, heart, stomach, 
and other organs situated in the cavity of the chest and abdomen. These 
nerves frequently become the seat of painful neuralgia, causing great 
irregularity of the pulse, pain, and great uneasiness through the region 
of the chest and heart, much increased by exercise, and accompanied with 
flatulency, acidity of the stomach, &c. 

Treatment. All of those remedies which are found to be most useful 
for the cure of general neuralgia, will be found beneficial for the cure of 
this affection. Plain, simple, and nourishing food, shower baths, friction . 
of the skin over the chest, regular habits, with the internal use of chemi- 
cal food, or the phosphates of iron and quinine, will be the most successful 
treatment. 

Hypertrophy of the Heart. 

Enlargement of the human heart is often caused by the inordinate ha- 
bitual use of arterial stimulants, such as beer, wine, ale, whiskey, brandy, 
&c, or over-excitement of the mind, or over-exercise of the body. The 
Fig. 54* heart and arteries are exceedingly elastic, 

and may be easily distended or dilated by 
the long-continued abuse of arterial stimu- 
lants increasing the force and frequency of 
the pulse, and frequently cause the dilation 
of the cavities of the heart, and increase 
of the size of this important organ. 

Treatment. The most appropriate reme- 
dies for the cure of hypertropy or enlarge- 
ment of the heart will be abstinence from 
the habitual use of alcoholic stimulants, and 
the use of such remedies as tend to induce 
muscular contraction of the dilated cavities 
of the heart, such as the preparations of nux 
Hypertropy, or Enlargement of the vomica, astringent tonics, &c. (see formula.) 

Heart, with Increased Thickening of 
its Walls, &c. 





diseases op the heart." 97 

Fatty Degeneration of the Heart. 

Fatty degeneration of the heart usually occurs in fleshy persons of a 
lymphatic temperament, and is caused by over- Fig. 55. 

eating carbonaceous or fat-forming food, such 
as fat meat, butter, oils, sugar, starch, &c, 
and the free use of beer, wine, and alcoholic 
stimulants. When the tissues of the heart 
become degenerated and converted into fat, 
the contractile power of its muscular walls 
will be greatly diminished, causing a small, 
feeble pulse, cold extremities, shortness of 
breath, fainting sensations, debility, &c. 

Treatment. The most appropriate remedies 
for the cure of this disease of the heart, will 
be abstinence from the use of fat-forming food, 

and the USe of alkalies, Such as the bicarbon- Fatty Degeneration of the Heart. 

ate of soda, or potash, about two hours after the principal meals, as a 
means of diminishing the formation of adipose matter in all of the tissues 
and organs of the body. When the pulse is small, feeble, and irregular, 
a few drops of the tincture of nux vomica, after each meal, will be 
found to improve the feeble circulation. 

Composition op the Blood. 

The human blood is the life of all the various organs of the body, and 
contains all of the elements which enter into their formation. 

In one hundred pounds of human blood there are about eighty pounds 
of water, holding in solution about eight pounds of albumen and fibrin, 
or flesh-forming substances, and twelve pounds of globules and mineral 
salts, such as the carbonate and phosphate of lime, which enter into the 
formation of the bones *, chloride of sodium, which enters into the com- 
position of the gastric juice; iron, which gives color to the blood, &c. 

When all of these various materials exist in the blood in their proper 
proportions, then fhe blood is in a healthy condition, and fitted to nourish 
and preserve in health every organ in the body. But when any of these 
important elements are deficient in quantity or quality, the blood is im- 
poverished, and no longer capable of supplying the various elements ne- 
cessary for the growth and repair of all parts of the system. 

Albumen and fibrin are the most interesting and important constituent 
elements which enter into the composition of the blood. They are the 
principal flesh-formers, and constitute the basis of all of the principal tis- 
sues and organs. These substances may be obtained in great abundance 
from both animal and vegetable food, when well digested. 



98 DISEASES OP THE HEART. 

When albumen and fibrin are deficient in the blood, it is rendered in- 
capable of nourishing and repairing the wear and waste of the muscular 
system, causing great muscular debility. 

When albumen and fibrin are deficient in the blood, they can only be 
supplied by the use of those kinds of food which contain them, such as 
milk, eggs, beef, wheat bread, &c. When these kinds of food are eaten 
in proper quantities, and well digested, they will rapidly increase the quan- 
tity and quality of albumen and fibrin in the blood, and strengthen and 
invigorate the muscular system. 

Phosphate and carbonate of lime are required for the growth and repair 
of the bones, and when these mineral substances are deficient in the blood, 
the bones become weak, causing " rickets/' and other diseases. These 
substances may be obtained from both animal and vegetable food, such as 
beef, the outside part of all grains, milk, &c. 

Chloride of sodium, or common salt, is another important constituent 
element of the blood. Salt renders the blood slightly saline to the sense 
of taste, serves to promote its fluidity, and renders its other constituents 
soluble, so that they may easily permeate all of the minute blood vessels, 
and nourish all parts of the body. A few drops of vinegar added to the 
blood will neutralize its slight alkalinity, and coagulate it, rendering it in- 
capable of circulating through the minute blood vessels. 

The blood also contains considerable quantities of carbonate and sulphate 
of soda and potash, which enter into the formation of the bile and pan- 
creatic juice, and aid in the digestion of our food, &c. 

It also contains considerable phosphorus for the formation of the brain 
and nerves, and iron, which gives color to the blood, and aids nutrition. 

When phosphorus is deficient in the blood, the brain and nerves are not 
properly nourished, and their waste repaired, causing nervous debility, 
&c, and when iron is deficient in the blood, the skin becomes pale, and the 
extremities cold, causing deficient nutrition of all of the organs of the 
body. 

Anemia. 

Anemia, or impoverishment of the blood, may be caused by a deficiency 
of any of these important constituent elements, which enter into the for- 
mation of this important fluid, such as lime, potash, soda, phosphorus, 
magnesia, iron, silicia, &c. This impoverishment of the blood may be 
caused by the use of food deficient in these various elements, such as fine 
flour bread, cakes, butter, sugar, &c. ; or it may be caused by loss of tone 
in the stomach and organs of digestion, rendering these organs incapable 
of digesting food abounding in these indispensable materials for the growth 
and repair of all of the organs of the body. 



diseases of the heart. 99 

Impurity of the Blood. 

The blood may become impure from a great variety of causes, such as 
the absorption of poisonous substances from the contents of the stomach 
and the intestinal canal ; or through the skin, or the inhalation of poison- 
ous substances through the lungs, in the air we breathe. 

The blood may also become impure by the retention of the remains of 
the old, worn-out and disorganized tissues of the body, which should be 
cast off in the form of secretions from the skin, liver, kidneys, lungs, &c. 

By far the most common cause of impurity of the blood, is the absorp- 
tion of poisonous substances from the cavity of the stomach and intestinal 
canal. The blood which circulates in our veins is composed of the food 
we eat and the fluids we drink. If we eat good bread, meat, fruit 
and vegetables, and drink milk and water, and these substances are well 
digested, our blood will be rich and pure, and correspond with the food 
we eat; but when we eat pork, onions, sausages and garlic, and chew 
tobacco, and drink beer, whiskey, &c, all of their peculiar properties will be 
absorbed into the blood, loading it with impurities, which the skin, lungs, 
kidneys, and other organs will labor diligently to sift out, poisoning with 
their disagreeable exhalations the very air we breathe. 

Again, in some forms of indigestion, our food, instead of being well di- 
gested and converted into rich and pure blood, ferments, in the stomach 
and digestive canal, forming large quantities of gas, and filling the intes- 
tinal canal with lactic acid and other poisonous substances, which are soon 
absorbed into the blood. 

When these acid products of fermentation of our food in the intestinal 
canal are absorbed into the blood, they poison the brain, nerves, and 
muscles, causing neuralgia, rheumatism, gout, general debility, palsy, and 
death ! This kind of blood-poisoning is very common among old people, 
who are imprudent in their diet. 

When the blood becomes impure from this cause, all of the secretions 
are loaded with poisonous acids and other impurities. The urine deposits 
large quantities of 'red, yellow or white gravel, urate, oxalate, or phosphate 
of lime, causing so much disease of the kidneys and bladder in those who 
live imprudently as they advance in life. In fact, it is impossible to esti- 
mate, and there is no language fully adequate to describe, the amount of 
wretchedness and human misery induced by the use of unwholesome food, 
beer, wine and whiskey, by people in advanced life. 

Various poisonous substances may also be introduced into the blood 
through the skin, as may be shown by various experiments. When vari- 
ous sedative lotions, liniments, plasters, &c. are applied to the skin, as a 
means of allaying pain, the opium which they contain is readily absorbed 



100 DISEASES OF THE HEART. 

through the skin into the blood, and soon manifests its peculiar influence 
upon the brain, allaying pain and the morbid sensibility of the parts. 
When a plaster, with a few grains of tartar emetic spread upon its surface 
is applied to the skin over the chest, the tartar emetic will be absorbed, 
producing its peculiar nauseating, relaxing, and emetic influence upon the 
stomach. 

" Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Keep the skin clean, as a powerful 
means of preventing impurity of the blood. It is amazing how many 
invalids drench their stomachs with blood physic, sarsaparilla, &c, to pur- 
ify the blood, who never wash the dirt off their skins with soap and water. 

Yarious poisonous substances may also be introduced into the blood by 
means of the air we breathe. When a little chloroform is inhaled, it is 
brought in contact with the blood in the lungs, and when circulated to the 
brain, produces its peculiar sedative and poisonous influence upon the brain 
and nervous system. 

It is well known that persons living near impure or stagnant water, 
emitting its deadly malaria, will inhale this poison into their lungs, where 
it unites with the blood, causing chills and fever, and various malarial 
diseases. It is in this way that the blood becomes poisoned by breathing 
impure air in ships, jails, hospitals, &c, causing ship-fever, typhus, typhoid, 
scarlet, and other malignant fevers and diseases, so destructive of human 
health and life. 

How to Purify the Blood. 

It has been shown that the blood is constantly renewing itself out of 
the food we eat, and that good food, well digested, will form good, rich, 
pure blood, while bad food imperfectly digested, fills the blood with sour, 
poisonous acids, and other impurities. It is evident that if by careful 
regulation of the diet and improved digestion, we dry up the fountains 
or sources of impurity in the blood, that the blood will soon renew and 
purify itself! The diet should consist of boiled rice, sago, tapioca, fresh 
eggs, fish, lamb, mutton, chicken, beef, milk, stale wheat bread, sweet but- 
ter, cooked fruits and vegetables, to make good, rich, pure blood. 

A diet consisting of pork, sausages, onions, garlic, pastry, sweetmeats, 
pickles, beer, wine, whiskey, strong coffee and tea, will make thin poisonous 
and impure blood, causing debility, scrofula, consumption and death ! 

Again : as a means of purifying the blood, the skin must be cleansed 
daily with soap and water. The various secreting organs of the skin are 
continually pouring out upon its surface a large amount of poisonous and 
impure matter from the blood. It is estimated that for every seven pounds 
of food and drink we take into the stomach, five corresponding pounds 
are sent out through the skin, and consequently it is impossible to exagge- 



DISEASES OF THE HEART. 101 

rate the importance of the daily use of the bath, as a means of purifying 
the blood, and preserving as well as restoring health. 

It has already been shown that one of the principal causes of impure 
blood is the respiration of poisonous and impure air. Carefully ventilate 
the sleeping apartments by means of an open fireplace or flue, adapted to 
this purpose, and live as much as possible in the sunlight and pure air. 
No amount of vegetable bitters, or pills, or panaceas, will compensate for 
inattention to all these hygienic conditions, which must be observed to 
secure pure, rich, and healthy blood. 

Alkalies and their neutral salts are often useful for the removal of acid- 
ity, and the cure of neuralgia, rheumatism, and other diseases depending 
upon this condition of the blood. The various mineral waters containing 
soda, magnesia, potash, sulphur, &c. are of great value for this purpose. 
When these natural waters, like those of Saratoga, &c. are not attainable, 
then soda, magnesia, potash, and their soluble salts, may be used with 
much advantage. 

Phosphorus, iron and lime are often very useful when the blood be- 
comes thin and impoverished from waste, disease, exposure to unhealthy 
climates, confinement at unhealthy employments, long residence in cities, or 
indulgence in various excesses, which impoverish the blood, and impair 
the general health, &c. 

In commencing a course of tonic or alterative treatment for the purifi- 
cation and improvement of the blood, we must first attend to the condition 
of the organs of digestion. When the tongue is red at the edges, and 
covered with a thick coat of white or brown fur, indicating a torpid liver 
or foul stomach, and bad digestion, it will be useless to give tonics or alter- 
atives until the organs of digestion are prepared to receive them, for if the 
stomach cannot digest food, tonics or alteratives will not be assimilated, 
and will do no good. 

E, Blue Pill, grs. v. 

Extract of Colycinth, grs. v. 

Pulv. Ipecac, grs. i. 

Mix, divide into three pills. 

Take them at bedtime, and a draught of citrate of magnesia early next 
morning. (See formula in appendix.) 



102 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 



LECTURE XII. 

DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 

Scrofula. 
Scrofula is a disease of debility, and depends upon imperfect nutrition, 
or inability to convert the food we eat into healthy blood cells, for the 
formation of the different tissues and organs of the body. 

Fig. 56. In perfect health, the food we eat is 

well digested, and formed into rich, 
pure blood, containing great multitudes 
of little cracker-shaped bodies, called 
blood cells, so minute that more than 
3,000,000 may be contained in a single 
drop of blood. The bones, muscles, 
heart, lungs, brain, nerves, and all of 
the tissues and organs of the body, are 
formed out of these little blood cells, 
much in the same way that numerous 
bricks are united together to construct 
a building ! 

Healthy Blood Cells, highly Magnified. j Q the mamifacture f bri ck S oufc f 

crude clay, sometimes a portion of them will be imperfectly formed — too soft, 
or broken, and inferior. These are rejected, and cast aside by the architect, 
Ym. 57. as worthless, and unfit to enter 

into the structure of the build- 
ing. These rejected, imperfect 
and worthless bricks, are thrown 
into a pile by themselves, and are 
called "rubbish" In scrofula, 
the food we eat, instead of being 
well digested, and thus formed 
into rich, pure, and healthy 
blood, containing great multi- 
tudes of little blood cells, is im- 
perfectly digested, forming thin 
poor blood, and containing nu- 
merous imperfectly developed 
blood cells, which are collected 

Irregular shaped Tubercular Cells, from yellow, ' 

Tubercular, or Scrofulous matter. together, forming little grey 





DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 



103 



specks, called milliary tubercles, or larger yellow masses, called yellow 
tubercles. When tubercular matter is examined by the microscope, it is 
found to be composed of great numbers of irregular shaped bodies, called 
" tubercular cells" or imperfectly developed blood cells, which have been 
rejected as incapable, on account of their imperfection, of entering into 
the formation of healthy tissues and organs. These lumps of grey, cheesy, 
or tubercular matter, may be deposited in all parts of the bodies of scro- 
fulous persons, where they act as foreign bodies in the flesh, causing great 
irritation, then inflammation, and finally ulceration of the surrounding 
healthy tissues, producing ulceration of the skin and mucous membranes, 
caries, and ulceration of the bones and joints, enlargement and ulceration 
of the glands, inflammation and ulceration of the liver, lungs, kidneys, &c. 

These scrofulous or tubercular 
deposits, take place much more 
frequently in organs of low vital- 
ity, such as the lymphatic glands 
about the neck, bones, joints, 
lungs, &c. When these scrofu- 
lous or tubercular deposits are 
examined by the chemists, they 
are found to be composed of albu- 
men and cholesterine, with the 
insoluble phosphates, carbonate of 
lime, and the soluble salts of soda. 
Tubercles have a low and feeble 
vitality, with a constant tendency 
to perish, soften and decay, as a 
means of promoting their own 
expulsion. It will be noticed 
that scrofulous or tubercular mat- 
ter is composed of the same mate- 
rials which enter into the compo- 
sition of healthy tissues and organs of the body; that they contain no 
poisonous substances ; that they are chemically identical with healthy flesh. 
It is only when these grey or yellow deposits are examined by the micro- 
scope that their true nature becomes understood. Scrofula, or tuberculosis 
is not a disease produced by any impurity, but by impoverishment of the 
blood. The blood becomes thin with a great increase of water, and a 
remarkable decrease of its solid elements, caused by the use of bad or in- 
sufficient food, want of fresh air, sunlight, clean linen, &c. It is emphat- 
ically the "poor man's disease.'' 

Confine any animal in impure air and away from the sunlight, and feed 




Enormous Enlargement of the Glands of the Neck 
from Scrofula. 



104 DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 

it upon scanty, inferior or innutritious food, and its blood will soon become 
thin and watery, and all of the organs of its body will soon be filled with 
little grey masses, not bigger than millet seeds, or larger masses of yellow 
matter called tubercles, easily seen on examining the body after death. 
This terrible disease is not confined in its devastating ravages, to the hu- 
man species, but is common to all forms of animal life, when not living in 
a state of nature. In fact, the whole process of stall feeding the lower 
animals, and preparing them for the market, fills their flesh with tubercles, 
and renders it unclean and unfit for food, and more especially is this true 
of the hog. 

We read in the Scriptures that Moses was a wise man, and that the 
Lord commanded him to write and tell his people what they must eat, and 
what they must not eat, saying unto him. " Stand thou by me, and I will 
make thee an instrument of communication with my people;" and that he 
wrote the law under the influence of inspiration, and must have told the 
truth when he declared in several places, as if to emphasise the fact, that 
the " Swine is unclean, and of him ye shall not eat, neither you in your 
day, nor your posterity forever!" In fact, the word scrofa, or scrofula in 
the Latin, when translated into English, means "a sow !" and hence, this 
terrible disease has received an appropriate name, from the early belief 
that the disease was peculiar to the swine, and as Lugol in his essay on 
scrofula and its origin tells us, was derived from "sleeping with the hog." 

How any human being, pretending to be a Christian, and reverencing 
what the Scriptures so plainly and explicitly declare in reference to this 
vile and unclean beast, and then eat him, I have always been at a loss to 
understand ? Let any one whether he be Jew, Christian, or heathen, ex- 
amine the carcass of this filthy brute while living, or dissect it after death, 
and he will soon find abundance of evidence that Moses must have been 
inspired, when he declared him to be unclean. Look at his skin, covered 
with mange, tetter, and scurf, from one extremity of the body to the other, 
and so irritable and itchy, that the poor beast is often crazy to find some 
convenient log or fence to rub himself against, in the vain effort to obtain 
relief from its itching sensations. Examine the inside of his fore legs, a few 
inches above his feet, and look at the open sores or issues provided by na- 
ture to drain off a part of the vile scrofulous ichor from his corrupt and 
filthy body. Fill a small syringe with quicksilver, and then introduce its 
pipe into the open mouths of these sewers, and inject the mercury, and it 
will run along these pipes, and enable you to trace them to every part of 
his body. Place your hand around the fore leg near the body, and press 
down slowly towards the feet, and as you do so you will see the corruption 
flow from the open mouths of these pipes, like the drainage from a sewer. 
Sometimes when a fat hog wallows in his filthy stye, these little openings 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 105 

become filled up and closed, so that the scrofulous matter cannot escape 
from the system, when the animal at once sickens, and would soon die, did 
not his owner very humbly get over into his pen, and with a bucket of 
warm soap and water wash and scrape them open, until they begin to dis- 
charge again, when the sick hog soon recovers from his illness, and is saved 
as food to satisfy the hungry cravings of some epicure. Is it not wonderful 
that Christian men and women will eat these soused sore legs, and tell you 
as they smack their lips with a relish that they are the sweetest and most 
juicy parts of the dirty beast ? Having examined the outside of the hog, 
if you still disbelieve that he is "unclean, and of him ye shall not eat," 
suppose you take a look at his interior, and the deeper you go the dirtier 
you will find him. Dissect and examine carefully his neck, and look at 
the numerous grey scrofulous lumps, or enlarged lymphatic glands, filled 
with tubercular deposits, and if the animal you examine is only old enough, 
many of these scrofulous lumps will be softened and filled with greenish or 
yellow matter, as the result of scrofulous ulceration. Now remove and ex- 
amine his lungs, and if the animal you examine is upwards of one year old, 
his lungs will nearly always contain numerous deposits of grey and yellow 
tubercles, and if not slaughtered too soon, as food, will die of true pulmon- 
ary consumption. Remove his liver, cut through it with your knife, and 
you will find numerous yellow lumps of scrofulous or tuberculous matter, 
often in a state of ulceration. Remove the small intestines, and examine 
the numerous purple colored and enlarged mesenteric glands, often greatly 
increased in size, and filled with scrofulous deposits, and enveloped with fat, 
which the butcher so unceremoniously removes, glands, tubercles, fat, 
and all together, and afterwards " tries out," in the big iron kettle, remov- 
ing the scrofulous extract or essence, called lard, for the purpose of shorten- 
ing pastry, and frying doughnuts, &c. Is it not amazing that Christian 
women will insist upon it that pastry made out of such materials is far nicer 
than when made with good sweet cream and butter? 

Verily it is true, as the great lawgiver has told us, the " swine is un- 
clean." Indeed, animal instinct teaches all the lower animals this import- 
ant fact, and makes them avoid the hog as food. No beast or bird of prey 
will eat a dead hog. They may lie dead in the fields or by the road side, 
and no animal will touch them, unless driven to do so by the pangs of 
hunger and despair. No domestic animal will eat raw por7t : unless driven 
to do so by starvation. Instinct teaches them all that it is unclean. In- 
deed it is an old saying, that " dog will not eat hog, nor hog eat dog ! It 
takes a man to do that ! But perhaps some will say that under the law 
the hog was unclean, but under the Gospel it was purified. ! no ! the 
Saviour of men did not come into the world for any such purpose; and be- 
sides, from the very nature of the circumstances, even the Gospel could 



106 DISEASES OP THE BLOOD. 

not make that clean which was in its very nature unclean. If the swine 
was unclean in the time of Moses, he remains unclean until this day. 
Now Dr. Johnson tells us, that "if a man drinks beer, he will think and 
feel beer," and if so, then a man who eats hog will fell hoggish, and act 
like one ! In other words, the whole nature and character of an animal 
may be changed by the quality of his food. If, for instance, you feed a 
tomato worm upon tomato leaves, it will grow up a great, coarse, clumsy 
worm, and passing through its chrysalis state, come out a butterfly, with 
little beauty or attraction in its appearance j but if you feed the same worm 
upon different food, the leaves of the rose, and the petals of beautiful 
flowers, when it passes through its chrysalis state, and comes out a butter- 
fly, it will be of surpassing brilliancy and beauty in its plumage and ar- 
mature. And so of the silk worm, feed it upon inferior diet, the leaves of 
the forest, and it will sicken and perish; but feed it upon the leaves of the 
mulberry, and it thrives and grows, until it finally wears its life away 
spinning its gossamer silken thread ! The same is true of the hog, feed 
one upon hard corn, another upon swill, another upon distillers' slop, and 
another upon nuts and mast in the forest, and their flesh will be totally 
different, as any butcher will tell you. In fact, the diet any animal lives 
upon will modify its constitution and character for better or worse, as the 
case may be. Feed a human being on pork and garbage, and he will be 
inferior in health, constitution and endurance; feed him upon beef and 
bread, and in constitution, health, endurance and disposition, he will be 
superior. All of our prize fighters and athletaB, when they would secure 
great strength and endurance, eat beef and bread for food. Experience 
has taught them its superiority to pork and sausage. But some will say, 
"our grandfathers ate pork, and were healthy, and lived to a good old 
age." Well, suppose they did so, and our fathers did the same, and we 
still eat it, and if it was good diet then, we would be as healthy and vigor- 
ous as our grandfathers, and our children more so ! Now, is it not quite 
notorious that the reverse of this is true, and that living upon this unclean 
and improper food, there has been a gradual deterioration of the race in 
consequence? Jews eat no pork; they reverence and obey the law, and 
are wonderfully blessed with remarkable exemption from scrofula, and its 
kindred diseases. As a race, they are distinguished for their clean, sharp 
features, and a " skin as clear and transparent as that of a Jewess," is a 
compliment to any lady's beauty. Scrofulous people may be distinguished 
for their muddy, sallow skins, and puggy, pear-shaped noses, covered with 
buds, pimples and blossoms, so commonly seen among gross livers. Yery 
few persons in this country have had a better opportunity to observe and 
study the habits of the American people in different parts of our country, 
for the past twenty years than the author, to observe the diet of people in 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 107 

different localities, and witness its effects upon health and character In 
Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and other New England States, the 
inhabitants send their beef cattle to Boston market, and live principally 
upon pork as meat, the year round, and what myriads of them are afflicted 
with scrofula, salt rheum, tetter, ring worm, "humours in the blood," 
consumption, &c. In the far West pork is the principal meat consumed 
by the farming and laboring classes : ham for breakfast, roast pig for din- 
ner, and sausage for supper, and " hog all the time !" And what is the 
effect of this unclean diet upon their constitution, health, &c? Look at 
many of their wretched wives and children, with their rheumed eyes and 
enlarged glands, sore ears, &c, for an answer. While the Western farmer 
works in his fields in the open air, he is comparatively free from its bane- 
ful influence, and it is chiefly upon the health of his wife and children 
that its terrible effects may be seen. The late Dr. Brainard of Chicago, 
told the author a few years since, that it was estimated by competent medical 
authority, that nearly one-fourth part of the entire population of the State 
were afflicted with scrofulous sore eyes, with enlargement of the glands at 
the edges of the lids, &c. This form of chronic ophthalmia is very com- 
mon throughout the West. How any human being can read what the 
inspired writer says in regard to the use of this kind of food, and then 
deliberately close the sacred volume and presume to invoke God's blessing 
upon a plate of ham and sausage, swimming in grease, I am at a loss to 
understand. Whenever I see a Christian do anything of that sort, it al- 
ways reminds me of an intelligent and conscientious friend, a clergyman. 
Being seated at the table with one of his deacons, and having roast pig 
for dinner, the deacon requested him to ask a blessing. The clergyman 
looked steadily at the roast pig, and then raised his eyes towards heaven, 
and not knowing hardly what to do or say, when he remembered the law, 
"the swine is unclean, and of him ye shall not eat," finally he exclaimed, 
" Grod ! if thou canst bless under the gospel what thou didst curse under 
the law, then bless this pig !" Adam Clarke, the great commentator on 
the Scriptures, leaves us his testimony as to the value of pork, as food for 
Christian men and women, for, says he, " were I compelled to offer a sacrifice 
to the devil, then I would offer a pig stuffed with tobacco !" Indeed, no 
sacrifice to the devil could be more appropriate, since we never read any- 
where in sacred or profane history, of a hog being offered as a sacrifice to 
the one true and living Grod, or even to the false gods, except with the 
deliberate purpose of defiling the altar, and ignoring the sacrifice. 

How to Prevent Scrofula. 
The symptoms which precede the manifestations of scrofula are always 
indicative x>f disorder of the digestive organs. Dr. Wilson Philip first no- 



108 DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 

ticed that there were certain forms of indigestion which ended in con- 
sumption, or some form of scrofula, and it has been recently proved by 
Dr. Hutchinson and others, that that peculiar feature of this form of dys- 
pepsia is the difficulty of digesting fatty or oily food. Sugar, fat, and even 
alcohol, "turn acid", causing sour eructations, heartburn, flatulency, &c. 
These conditions of the digestive functions are so constant that many au- 
thors speak of them as " scrofulous dyspepsia!" 

Scrofulous constitutions manifest certain peculiarities, such as coldness 
of the body, and white but very delicate skin ; a rounded, graceful outline 
of the face, with delicate features, rosy cheeks, strongly contrasted with the 
surrounding pallor, often giving to the countenance, especially in women, 
unusual beauty. The hair is usually blonde or auburn, while the eyes 
are large, blue, projecting and humid, with the pupils constantly dilated. 
The head is usually large, the teeth are milk white and decay early, the 
breath is usually sour, and fetid, the neck long and round, the chest is narrow 
and flat, the shoulders high, the abdomen large and prominent, the limbs 
thin, and the flesh soft and flabby. Scrofulous children usually manifest 
great mental activity, and are irritable, impatient and passionate, and their 
intellectual organs are largely developed, with unusual brilliancy of imagi- 
nation and judgment. Scrofula may occur at any period of life, but is 
much more common in childhood and youth, from the age of three to 
fifteen, and from eighteen to thirty-five. Its development is favored by 
all habits and conditions which render the blood unhealthy. The use 
of food that is innutritious in quality and insufficient in quantity, is the 
most common cause of the disease, especially when conjoined with the in- 
jurious effects of the confined and poisonous atmosphere of towns and 
cities, close and over-crowded rooms, and want of sunlight and exercise. 

The influence of sunlight upon animal and vegetable life, does not seem 
to be well understood ; for instance, it will be easily ascertained by exper- 
iment, that the color of all plants and animals, depends upon the influence 
of the yellow rays of sunlight. In all tropical countries, the leaves of the 
trees, and the plumage of birds, the petals of the flowers, and the skins of 
all animals, beneath the direct rays of a tropical sun, assume the deepest 
and most brilliant hues. 

If we allow a potatoe or any other vegetable to grow in the dark damp 
cellar, its stem will be soft, white and feeble, with an imperfect, pale, and 
sickly leaf upon the end of it. Carefully remove the growing plant, from 
the dark, damp cellar, out into the open air and the sunlight, and in a few 
hours' time, its white, crisp and delicate stem, will become firm and elastic, 
while its pale, sickly, yellow leaf, will double in size, and become of the 
deepest green color. All mechanics know that oak timber, grown in the open 
pasture, and freely exposed to the influence of sunlight, is far tougher and 
much more durable, than that grown in the forest. 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 109 

Again, the savor and flavor of all vegetables and fruits, depend upon 
the influence of sunlight. The luscious pulp of the grape, and the peach, 
the nectarous juices of the orange and pine apple, can only be elaborated 
in perfection, beneath the vertical rays of a tropical sun; while in our cli- 
mate, everybody knows that grass and vegetables growing in the shade of 
the trees upon the lawn, is tasteless, insipid and valueless. And so of fruit, 
apples and pears growing upon the sunny side of the tree, are fairer, higher 
colored and of superior flavor, and they will not decay near as soon as 
those grown on the shady side of the same tree. 

All animals living in a state of nature, especially when sick, instinctively 
seek the curative influence of sunlight, from the alligator, who inhabits 
the sunless swamps of the South, to the domestic cat, who when sick, 
always perches herself in the sun of the window as a means of cure. In 
fact, instinct teaches the lower animals what is requisite for the recovery 
of their health, when they become diseased or suffer from injury. The 
coloring matter of the sap of all plants, and of the blood of all animals can 
only be elaborated by the yellow rays of the sun. The nutritive fluids of 
plants and animals cannot be perfectly formed without the aid of this great 
chemist of nature. 

When I am asked why American women are so pale, feeble and delicate, 
as compared with the women of other nations ? I answer it is because 
they are educated to think a pale, sickly yellow skin looks " delicate" and 
that delicacy is synonymous with gentility, and they shrink away from 
the sunlight, and sacrifice their health. When men commit high crimes, 
we sometimes inflict that terrible punishment of confinement in a solitary 
dungeon in our prisons, and if you will visit them after a few months con- 
finement, you will soon learn what makes so many of our fair country 
women so pale, feeble and delicate. Those wretched, unhappy victims of 
crime in prison, all bleach out very soon, and become pale, sickly, and 
" look so delicate," with their blood and skins bleached until they are as 
"white as lilies." 

Sometimes we see ladies living in great, dark, brown stone mansions, 
surrounded with every luxury except the sun, looking for all the world 
just like these poor prisoners. Indeed, about all the difference I am able 
to discover in their appearance and situation, is that while the State em- 
ploys servants to wait on the prisoners, the lady must employ and pay her 
own servants. Is it not amazing that the possessors of such wealth, should 
voluntarily doom themselves to such a painful, cheerless and gloomy life, 
regarded as such a punishment by some, only because they are involunta- 
rily deprived of their liberty ? 

Shade trees which stand so near our dwellings as to exclude the light of 
the sun from the house, are the cause of much ill health. When cholera, 
8 



110 DISEASES OP THE BLOOD. 

plague, or yellow fever, prevails in any of our Southern cities, it is often 
noticed how many more are ill on the shady, than on the sunny side of the 
street. Several years ago, two of the largest and finest military hospitals 
in St. Petersburg, were abandoned by the Russian government, as habita- 
tions for bats and owls, they were found to be so unhealthy on account of 
their shady situation. I am well acquainted with a family, living in an 
elegant mansion, situated in a dense park of beautiful shade trees, in cen- 
tral New York, where a judge of the Supreme Court of that State, has 
buried three wives and all of their children, as if they were stricken with 
the plague, and yet no one can look at his elegant mansion and grounds 
without envy, who does not know the deadly influence of the disuse of sun- 
light upon the health of the inmates of such an establishment. I know 
an office in the city of Albany, New York, where two of the most promis- 
ing young lawyers that city ever produced, died of consumption in five 
years; the office being eligibly situated in every other respect, except it 
was badly lighted. Scrofula and consumption are far more prevalent 
among women than among men, and especially those men who are employed 
in the open air and sunlight. We shall find fifty women with enlarge- 
ment of the glands of the neck, where we find one man. Think of the in- 
fluence of this condition of health upon their unfortunate children. Our 
houses should be so constructed that the sun shines into every room, and 
more especially the room of all work, the kitchen, and we have no need of 
any blinds or curtains to exclude the light, unless it is considered best to 
sacrifice health and happiness to preserve the carpets and furniture ! 

Treatment of Scrofula. Our efforts should first be directed to the 
prevention of this disease, rather than its removal, when it actually exists. 
Indeed, the preventive treatment is by far the most important, and by 
proper attention to it, the author has no hesitation in affirming that the 
full development of this affection, even when hereditary, may be arrested; 
and the child of strumous parents, presenting all of the features indicative 
of this disease, may pass through life without its active manifestation. In 
order to accomplish this desirable result, the treatment must be commenced 
early, and continue uninterruptedly for a considerable time — perhaps for 
several years. 

The preventive treatment of scrofula consists in close attention to hygi- 
enic rules. The diet must be carefully regulated, light, but nourishing food, 
only being used. A great error is often committed by eating too much, or 
food that is too heavy, under the impression that strong, heavy food is ne- 
cessary to give strength. By the injudicious use of heavy, indigestible food, 
the irritability of the mucous membrane lining the stomach is kept up, and 
nutrition is badly performed The surplus of food that is eaten and badly di- 
gested, and imperfectly assimilated, being thrown off in the shape of lithates, 



DISEASES OP THE BLOOD. Ill 

or other products of imperfect assimilation, and health and strength, which 
are the result of perfect nutrition, are impaired rather than improved. The 
bowels must be kept regular, by the use of coarse food, and simple aperients. 
The clothing should be warm, and cover the whole surface, and the patient 
kept in a well aired and well lighted room. Exercise daily in the open 
air, avoid fatigue, alternate, or change of air from the sea shore to the 
mountains frequently, bathe daily with salt or tepid water, and use the 
flesh brush with sufficient friction to keep up a healthy action of the skin. 
Curative Treatment. — The treatment for the cure of scrofula should 
embrace that already mentioned for prevention of this disease, with the 
administration of tonics and alteratives. Before the administration of 
tonics or alteratives for the cure of scrofula, we must restore the healthy 
action of the organs of nutrition, or they will be useless. 

When the tongue is covered with a thick coating of white, creamy fur, 
with elongated papillae and red edges, indicating that the mucous mem- 
brane lining the digestive canal is in a state of irritability, with debility, 
&c, neither purgatives or tonics can be largely administered; the one irri- 
tating and the other over-stimulating the morbidly sensitive mucous mem- 
brane. Under these circumstances the diet must be as mild as possible, 
consisting of milk, boiled fresh fish, with meats and light puddings, with- 
out any stimulants of any kind. Small doses of soda and rhubarb should 
be occasionally taken at bed time, followed by a few grains of aloes in the 
morning. A few grains of soda or potash in some bitter infusion, may be 
taken two or three times during the day. When all irritation of the 
stomach has been removed by this preliminary treatment, or when it has 
not existed in the usual marked degree at first, the patient being pale, soft, 
and flabby, with a weakened condition of the pulse, skin, and mucous 
membrane, then tonics may be administered with the best advantage. 
Iron, potassa, iodine and cod liver oil are the remedies which are found 
to be the most useful in scrofula. They may be used singly or conjoined, 
as each case may require. Iron is most useful in pale, flabby, anemic 
cases, for the purpose of increasing the quantity and improving the qual- 
ity of the blood. Syrup of iodide of iron is the best for children, and 
tincture of chloride or the citrate of iron for adults. In many cases the 
natural chalybeate waters will agree the best. 

In glandular enlargements and morbid hypertrophies, with swelling and 
thickening of the parts, which so frequently take place during the pro- 
gress of the disease, iodine will be found the most useful. Iodide of 
potash may be combined with the carbonate of potash, with the best ad- 
vantage. To prevent irritation of the stomach, it should be well diluted 
with some bland fluid. Combined with the other alkalies, iodide of potash 



112 DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 

is far more efficacious in removal of chronic glandular enlargements and 
deposits of tubercular matter. 

Local Treatment. — For the removal of enlargements of the glands and 
deposits of tubercular or scofulous matter, and to remove swelling and 
hypertrophies of the parts, a lotion containing iodide and carbonate of 
potash may be applied, by means of lint, covered with oiled silk. One 
drachm of each of these salts in an ounce of the spirits of wine, in eleven 
ounces of water, will be found of great value to dissolve and remove plas- 
tic deposits so common in this disease. (See appendix for formula.) 



CATARRH. 



113 



LECTURE XIII. 



CATARRH, AND DISEASES OF THE NOSE AND THROAT. 

The nose is composed of a number of irregular shaped pieces of carti- 
lage, forming its outward extremity, and the nasal bones forming its base, 
and uniting it to the bones of the face. The bones and cartilages of the 
nose are exceedingly soft and spongy, rendering them very liable to acci- 
dental injury, productive of serious diseases, and deformity. 

The nose contains a cavity of considerable size, which is divided through 
the middle by means of a thin partition, called the septum, which serves the 
purpose of sustaining the arch or bridge of the nose above. 




Section of the Nose, exhibiting the Spongy Bones, the Frontal Sinuses, the 
Mouth of the Eustachian Tube, 4c. 

The bones on each side of the cavity of the nose are arranged like 
shelves, one above the other, and are called the superior, middle, and infe- 
rior spongy bones. The cavity of the nose on each side is subdivided into 
still smaller cavities, — the frontal sinuses, situated between the plates of 
the skull at the root of the nose; the ethnoidal and sphenoidal cells, situ- 
ated in the bones of the skull, at the base of the brain ) and the cavities 
of the upper jaw. 



114 




Section of the Bone8 of the Nose and Face, exhibiting all of the Cavities of the Nose. 
Ethmoidal and Sphenoidal Cells, 3; Septum, 4; Vomer, 5; Spongy Bones, 6 and 7 ; Cavities of 
Upper Jaw, 9 and 10. 

All of these numerous cavities of the nose are exceedingly complicated, 
being united together by narrow passages or canals, called sinuses, some 
of which are very small, rendering them very difficult of access. These 
various cavities and sinuses are all lined with a delicate, pale, pink-colored 
mucous membrane, which is continuous with that lining the stomach and 
intestinal canal, and is very liable to become inflamed and diseased. 

At the outward extremity of the cavity of the nose we shall discover 
numerous minute hairs, which are designed to act much like a sieve, to 
sift out all particles of dust from the air we breathe, and so prevent them 
from finding their way downwards into the lungs, causing suffocation 
and death. When engaged in working at any dusty employment, such as 
sweeping a dusty room, or traveling on a dusty road, we shall notice how 
useful these little organs are to preserve our lungs from injury, by the 
large amount of dust they will collect at the external opening of the nose. 

Now, notwithstanding the Creator, in his infinite wisdom, has made this 
special provision to prevent any dust of any kind from entering the cavity 
of the nose, we observe a great many ladies and gentlemen, who, having 



CATARRH. 115 

accidentally discovered that the nose contains a cavity of considerable size, 
have not scrupled to turn it into a kind of "dust hole," simply to please 
snuff makers and tobacconists. 

While dwelling on this point, the author is reminded of some most 
amusing incidents which have happened to him in his professional life ! 
A few years ago, being called upon by a young gentleman to visit his 
mother, an elderly lady in wealthy circumstances, who was said to be 
suffering intensely with a large polypus in the nose, which had been grad- 
ually increasing in size for the last twenty years, and which had now be- 
come so very large that she could not breathe through her nose, or talk so 
that her friends could understand her. Being somewhat anxious for a 
job of that kind, he hurried down to examine the case, and after placing 
the old lady in front of a good light, opened her nose, and peaking into 
its cavity, judge of his surprise on discovering it filled with snuff, which 
he vigorously attacked with an instrument shaped like a salt spoon, called 
a bullet probe, and in about five minutes removed as much of this mate- 
rial as would fill a large wine-glass, enabling the lady at once to breathe 
through her nose, and speak as distinctly as ever she could ! Now, when 
this good woman saw what had been extracted from her nose, she raised 
her hands and rolled up her eyes in amazement, and says she, "now Doc- 
tor, if you ever tell any of my friends in this city how much snuff you 
took out of my head, I never will forgive you as long as I live I" The 
author relates this story only to please all of those dear, good old ladies 
and gentlemen who have such a difficulty in "dalking blain" in conse- 
quence of their noses all being u villed up dwith dsnuff" 

Our noses are so inconvenient to take snuff with ! Only imagine a young 
lady that a young gentleman has experienced a tender passion for, en- 
gaged in kneading up bread, while the yellow drop hangs in doubtful 
security to the end of her nose; or perhaps she is engaged making pies 
and pastry, with spices sprinkled so nicely all over the fruits of the tarts, 
and a little cinnamon taken from another box hanging so provokingly 
loose all over the end of her nose. Now, if the Creator, in his infinite 
wisdom, had ever designed our noses for the purpose of taking snuff with, 
then doubtless he would have turned them upside down, like the hopper 
of a mill, so that we could pour the snuff in without danger of its falling 
out, and mixing with our food ! 

Nerves of the Sense op Smell. 

The nerves of the sense of smell originate in the olfactory ganglia, at 
the base of the brain, pass down through numerous little openings in the 
cribriform or sieve-like plate of bone, at the root of the nose (see fig. 



116 CATARRH. 

61,) and are soon divided into a great multitude of small branches which 
are distributed beneath the delicate mucous membrane lining the cavity of 
this organ, to enable us to manifest the sense of smell. 

Fig. 61. 




Nerves of the Sense of Smell. 

When we inhale a full breath of air, the odoriferous particles which 
float in the atmosphere as they are drawn in through the cavity of the 
nose, are brought in contact with the delicate extremities of great multi- 
tudes of these little nerves, and impinge them, when at once this impres- 
sion is carried up to the base of the brain, enabling us to manifest the 
sense of smell; so that in an instant we can catch the perfumes of every 
flower, and the odors of every zone. 

In many instances the delicate mucous membrane lining the cavity of 
the nose becomes inflamed and thickened, from repeated colds, so as to 
impair or totally destroy the sense of smell. When this delicate mem- 
brane becomes inflamed or congested, and thickened in this way, so that the 
nerves of smell do not receive any impressions, except those produced by 
the application of the most pungent substances, this humidity, or thicken- 
ing of the mucous membrane, may often be removed, and the lost sense of ^ 
smell restored, by the application of mild alteratives, such as weak iodine 
washes, and the ointment of the yellow nitrate of mercury, or the inhalation 
of the vapors of chlorine. 



CATARRH. 



117 



Fig. 62. 



The cavities of the 
nose and throat are 
all lined with the same 
delicate mucous mem- 
brane which lines the 
stomach and the in- 
testinal canal. This 
membrane also ex- 
tends up through the 
tear passages, so as to 
form the lining sur- 
faces of the lachrymal 
ducts, and the lining 
surface of the eye- 
lids, and anterior sur- 
face of the eyes. It 
also extends through 
the Eustachian tubes, 
so as to form the lin- 
ing surface of the ca- 
vities of the arm, of 
the ears, and the mas- 
toid cells, &c. 

Now, it is a well 
known physiological 
law, that all organs of 
the human body, of 
like structure, nature 
and uses, sympathise 
with each other in 
health and in disease, 
and that when one part of this extensive membrane becomes diseased, and 
inflamed or ulcerated, the disease will often extend itself by continuity of 
surface, or by sympathy, to other parts of the body. 

If, for instance, we abuse our stomach by the use of unwholesome, irri- 
tating, or indigestible food, it will irritate and inflame the mucous mem- 
brane lining the stomach and digestive canal, causing the secretion of 
large quantities of starchy fluid, called mucus or slime, followed by head- 
aches, palpitation of the heart, shortness of breath, neuralgia, debility, 
&c. Catarrhal dyspepsia is by far the most common of all forms of indi- 
gestion, and on account of the profuse secretion of slime or mucus from 
the mucous membrane lining the stomach, causing nausea, vomiting, &c, 




Cavity of the Nose and Throat, exhibiting the Mouths of the Eusta- 
chian Tubes, Tear Passages, &c. 



118 



CATARRH. 



Fig. 63. 




it is often called " bilious- 
ness," or a "bilious attack," 
although the liver is in no 
way implicated in this dis- 



Cavity of the Mouth and Throat, in a healthy condition. 



Catarrhal inflammation 
of the mucous membrane 
lining the stomach will of- 
ten extend itself upwards 
along the mucous mem- 
brane lining the oesophagus 
or gullet, to the throat, 
causing irritation, inflam- 
mation, and ulceration of 
the throat, and the secretion 
of large quantities of thick, 
glairy and adhesive mucus 
or slime, which adheres like glue to the back part of the throat, requiring 
violent efforts by hawking, coughing, and scraping for its removal. 

Fig. 64. Catarrhal inflammation is 

by far the most common of 
all diseases of the throat, 
and is always caused by 
colds, &c. In fact, it is an 
old maxim, that " when we 
catch cold, it will go to the 
weakest part of the body, if 
it is a sore toe," and in this 
case, it might be added, a 
sore throat. 

Nearly all cases of chronic 
inflammation and ulceration 
of the throat, originate in 
and are sustained by chronic 
irritation or inflammation of 
the mucous membrane lining 
the stomach and intestinal 
canal, caused by the use of 
irritating, indigestible and unwholesome food and drink. 

Intelligent physicians always examine carefully the mucous membrane 
covering the tongue, and lining the mouth and throat, to ascertain the 
true condition of the mucous membrane lining the stomach and intestinal 




Inflammation and Ulceration of the Throat, with Elon 
gation of the Palate, resting on the base of the Tongue 
causing Cough, Ac. 



CATARRH. 



119 



Fig. 



canal. If the mucous membrane covering the tongue is clean and moist, 
and of a pale pink color, then the physician is assured that the mucous 
membrane lining the stomach and intestinal canal is in a correspondingly 
healthy condition. But when the mucous membrane covering the tongue 
and lining the mouth and throat is covered with a white or brown fur, and 
is very dry and red, then he knows that the mucous membrane lining the 
stomach and bowels is in a foul and unhealthy condition. A foul tongue 
and a foul diseased stomach are always intimately associated with each 
other. 

In persons of a strumous or scrofulous habit, diseases of the throat are 
often complicated with enlargement of the mucous follicles and glands of 
the neck, by the deposit of 
tubercular matter. 

The tonsillary glands of- 
ten become enlarged, great- 
ly diminishing the size of 
the opening into the throat, 
causing irritation and in- 
creasing the tendency to 
inflammation and ulceration 
of the throat, quinsy, croup, 
diphtheria and other disea- 
ses. Enlargement of the 
tonsils also diminishes the 
size of the opening into the 
air tube and lungs, and so 
seriously interferes with the 
proper development of these 

Enlargement of the Tonsillary Glands of the Throat. 

organs. 

Nasal Catarrh. 
Catarrhal inflammation is by far the most common of all diseases of 
the throat, and often extends itself upwards behind the palate into the cav- 
ity of the nose, causing nasal catarrh, and downwards into the larynx, 
causing hoarseness and laryngial catarrh, and finally into the bronchial 
tubes, causing bronchial catarrh or bronchitis. 

Symptoms of Nasal Catarrh. 

When the delicate mucous membrane lining the nasal cavities becomes 
irritated or ulcerated, the symptoms will vary according to the nature, 
extent and duration of the disease. 

In many cases there will be burning heat, and pain through the bones 
of the nose and forehead, headaches, with confusion of thought and loss 




120 CATARRH. 

of memory, watery eyes, a feeling of dryness, or, a "stuffed up" sensation 
in the nose and throat, and change of voice or hoarseness, profuse discharges 
of mucus, which at first is thin, white and slimy, and afterwards becomes 
thick, greenish or yellow, and often mixed with streaks of blood. 

In many instances this mucus becomes so viscid and adhesive that it 
adheres tightly to the surface ot the mucous membrane, and is retained in the 
nasal cavities until it ferments and putrifies, and becomes exceedingly offen- 
sive, causing the breath to become fetid and repulsive. These accumulations 
of inspissated mucus, often close the entire nasal passages, obstructing respi- 
ration, rendering it impossible to breathe, except through the mouth, until 
Fig. 66. they are disengaged and removed. 

When this disease has been ne- 
glected, or improperly treated, chron- 
ic inflamation of the mucous mem- 
brane often terminates in ulcera- 
tion, followed by the discharge of 
thick, yellow or greenish matter, 
mixed with streaks of blood. 

In such cases the soreness and dis- 
charges will be greatly increased by 
colds and exposure to draughts of 

Catarrh, with Ulceration behind the Palate land 2 C0 ](J damp air, &C. 

Fig. 67, 





Cavity of the Nose, with Ulceration (2), and Polypus (1). 



CATARRH. 



121 



Fig. 68. 



In persons of a scrofulous constitution these ulcerations frequently in- 
volve the bones and cartilages of the nose, causing their rapid destruction, 
and the production of a serious deformity, loss of the power of speech, 
&c. When this loathsome disease is confined to the delicate mucous 
membrane lining the cavities of the nose it is called catarrh, but when it 
extends itself to the bones and cartilages of the cavity of the nose it is 
then termed ozena. 

Very frequently the septum, or partition in the middle of the nose, be- 
comes softened and gives way, allowing the arch of the nose to fall or 
become depressed. In such cases the septum, or partition of the nose, is 
generally bent, or displaced to one side of the nasal cavity, often obstruct- 
ing or entirely closing the nasal passage on one side, impairing the process 
of respiration, and injuring the sense of smell and the powers of speech. 

When this disease is neglected, or improperly treated, the nasal bones 
become inflamed, and their vitality destroyed, so that they become dead 
foreign bodies obstructing the cavity of the nose, and as they decay and 
waste away, communicate the most offensive and disagreeable odor to the 
air we breathe. 

In many instances, unhealthy 
granulations like proud flesh, sprout 
up from these ulcerations of the 
mucous membrane lining the cavity 
of the nose, and when neglected or 
improperly treated grow larger, un- 
til they finally result in the forma- 
tion of a soft, fleshy substance called 
a polypus. Many of these growths 
are exceedingly vascular, and often 
bleed most profusely from slight 
irritation. 

Causes of Catarrh. 
Some persons are far more liable 
to catarrhal diseases than others. 
When a person in perfect health 
takes cold by accident, or exposure 
to heat and cold, or damp atmos- 
phere, he will soon recover spontan- 
eously, or without medical treat- 
ment. But when the mucous membrane lining the stomach, intestinal 
canal, throat, mouth, and nose, is red, congested and irritable, as it often 
is in a large proportion of those who eat irritating and unwholesome food, 




Catarrh, with Polypus in tho Nose, closing 
the Tear Passages, Ac. 



122 CATARRH. 

and drink tea, coffee, whiskey, &c., then colds will always excite and in- 
crease this local irritation and congestion of the mucous membranes, often 
causing inflammation and ulceration, which does not get well, or cure itself 
spontaneously, because the irritation and congestion of the mucous mem- 
brane is constantly excited and perpetuated by the continued use of irrita- 
ting food. 

All persons affected with irritation of the mucous membrane lining the 
stomach and intestinal canal, are predisposed to catarrhal affections of the 
nose and throat, and when exposed to sudden changes of temperature, to 
heats and colds, &c, the disease will be greatly increased. Catarrh is not 
caused, but is always increased by taking cold, &c. 

Cure of Catarrh. 

It is very evident, from all that has been said as to the origin and cause 
of catarrh and diseases of the nose and throat, that they cannot be perma- 
nently cured by the mere local application of washes and snuffs to the dis- 
eased lining surface of the nose and throat, without the most careful regu- 
lation of the diet, and attention to the diseased condition of the mucous 
membrane lining the stomach and the intestinal canal. 

Carefully avoid the use of all irritating, indigestible and unwholesome 
food, such as fried meats or fish, salt meat or fish, fried cakes, fried mush, 
fried potatoes, and all other kinds of food cooked in grease; also, tea, 
coffee, tobacco, and whiskey. Eat sparingly boiled fresh lamb, mutton or 
chicken, well cooked, soft and tender, boiled fish, rice, sago, farina, white 
corn or oat meal mush well cooked; well-baked stale wheat bread, with 
cream and butter. 

All fruits and vegetables must be eaten sparingly, if at all, from their 
well-known tendency to fermentation. The sub-acid fruits, such as 
peaches, &c, may be eaten, when very acid fruits, such as strawberries, 
sour apples, &c, will cause much irritation of the mucous membrane. All 
pastry, sweetmeats, pickles, sauces, gravies, &c, must be totally abandoned. 

In many cases of chronic catarrh of long standing, the mucous mem- 
brane lining the stomach and intestinal canal is covered with a thick, 
tenacious layer of adhesive mucus, like a coating of varnish on furniture, 
which impairs the functions of digestion, and interrupts the process of 
nutritive absorption. Mucus is soluble in weak solutions of the alkalies 
and alkaline salts, and these accumulations may be removed from the lin- 
ing surface and cavity of the intestinal canal, by the use of limewater and 
milk, sulphate of soda, cholorate of potash, &c, taken when the stomach 
is empty, or an hour before meals, in milk, and a mild, saline cathartic, 
such as the sulphate or citrate of magnesia, early in the morning. The 
tone of the mucous membrane lining the digestive canal may be much 



Fig. 



CATARRH. 123 

improved by the use of some good tonic after each meal, such as tincture 
of chloride of iron, tincture of nux vomica and quinine. 

Having removed the accumulated mucus from the lining surface and 
cavity of the intestinal canal, and allayed the irritation and restored the 
tone of the mucous membrane of the stomach, we shall be able the more 
easily to subdue the local disease of the nose and throat. To dissolve the 
thick, viscid and tenacious mucus which adheres so closely to the in- 
flamed mucous membrane lining the nose and throat, and which accumu- 
lates and obstructs their cavities, no application will be found equal to 
saline washes, such as the carbolate of soda, chloride of sodium, and chlor- 
ate of potash, and alum or tannic acid. 

The cavity of the nose and throat is exceedingly complicated, (as shown 
in fig. 62,) and great care will be required to make a thorough application 
of any wash, to cleanse out the cavity of the nose and throat. When gargles 
or washes are taken into the mouth, and the head is thrown back, and 
attempts are made to apply them to the back part of the throat, they will not 
be successful. No application to the back part of the throat can be made 
in this way. All fluids carried 
beyond the base of the tongue 
and behind the palate, must be 
swallowed into the stomach. No 
person can apply any wash to 
the back part of the throat in 
this way. The experiment may 
be easily tried by any one with 
a glass of water, and this as- 
sertion will be quickly verified. 

The nasal douche, invented 
by Thudicum, which directs 
any fluid into the nose through 
one nostril and out at the other, 
only partially cleanses out the 
cavity of the nose, and does 
not make any application to the 
back part of the throat, or the 
upper and back part of the 
nose. 

After repeated experiments, 
and the thorough trial of all 
kinds of instruments invented 
and used by others, for the pur- 
pose Of Washing OUt and mak- ^1 Douche for cleansing out the cavity of the Nose, 




124 



CATARRH. 



ing suitable applications to the diseased surfaces of the cavities of the nose 
and throat, the author has found nothing equal to the nasal douche shown in 
the accompanying illustration. This simple instrument consists of a small 
elastic bag, with a short piece of flexible hose, and hard rubber mouth piece, 
which is curved so that it slides into the mouth over the surface of the 
tongue, which it serves to depress, so that its blunt extremity, containing 
numerous little openings, passes up behind the palate ! 

Fig. 70. 




Application of the Nasal Douche for Cleansing out the Cavity of the Noae and Throat. 



Having prepared the wash for cleansing out the cavity of the nose and 
throat, the soft rubber bag is firmly compressed to expel the air from its 
cavity, when the mouth piece is placed in the wash, and the compression 
is removed from the soft rubber bag, when it soon fills. It is best to com- 
press the bag a second time, while the mouth piece remains under the 
wash, so as to perfectly exclude all the remaining air it contains, and when 
it fills a second time, open the mouth, and slide the hard rubber mouth 
piece over the surface of the tongue, which it serves to depress, until the 
bulb of the instrument touches the back part of the throat ; now bend 
forward your face over a wash basin, and firmly compress the elastic bag, 



CATARRH. 



125 



and the wash will be thrown as a gentle spray or shower, all over the in- 
terior of the cavity of the nose and throat. This operation should be re- 
peated several times, or until all the accumulated mucus and other impuri- 
ties are thoroughly removed from the cavities of the nose and throat. 

The nasal douche should be used at least three times a day, or as often 
as is necessary to prevent the accumulation of acrid and poisonous mucus 
in the nasal cavities. In many instances these putrid accumulations of 
mucus are so poisonous and acrid that their retention within the cavities 
of the nose and throat excoriates the mucous membrane, and greatly in- 
creases the sufferings of the invalid, and prevents recovery. Thorough 
cleanliness is indispensable to rapid recovery from this loathsome disease. 
When the nasal bones decay and become loose and dead, obstructing 
the cavities of the nose, they act like foreign bodies, and should be care- 
fully removed, and the cavity of the nose cleansed with a weak splution of 
iodine and warm water. 

After a few trials Fig. 71. 

any one can use the 
nasal douche them- 
selves, without any 
assistance, and thus 
complete their own 
cure. The rapidity 
of the cure of this 
disease will depend 
upon the faithful- 
ness with which the 
applications to the 
diseased mucus sur- 
faces are made. 

Having removed 
all of the putrid ac- 
cumulations and ac- 
rid mucus from the 
cavities of the nose 
and throat, and 
cleansed the dis- 
eased mucous mem- 
branes by the use 
of the nasal douche as often as required, then the inflammation may be 
removed and the ulceration healed by the judicious inhalation of medica- 
ted vapors, which are best adapted for this purpose. 

In acute inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the nose and 
9 




How to Use the Nasal Douche, for the Cure of Catarrh, Ac. 



Fig. 72. 



126 CATARRH. 

throat, hay fever, rose colds, influenza, quinsy, bronchitis, &c, where the 
principal object is to allay irritation and reduce inflammation, very few 
remedies will be found superior to acetate of lobelia, combined with ace- 
tate of opium and chloride of sodium, to which may be added a few drops 
of Calvert's solution of carbolic acid. 

When the discharges from the cavity of the throat and nose become 
putrid and offensive, weak solutions of sulphurous acid, or chlorine, and 
carbolate of soda, will afford the most prompt relief. 

In many old, chronic cases of long standing, with great relaxation of 
the mucous membrane and palate, a more stimulating course of treatment 
will be required, and in these cases much relief will be obtained by the 
use of tincture of tolu and tincture of gum benzoine. When the dis- 
charges of mucus are very profuse, and it is desirable to restrain or dimin- 
ish them, few remedies will be found superior to combinations of purified 
tar and extract of belladonna. 

In many children of a 
strumous or scrofulous 
habit, and in all cases 
where there is enlarge- 
ment of the tonsils and 
glands of the neck and 
throat, iodine is the most 
useful of all remedies. 

These preparations may 
be dissolved in warm wa- 
ter or used in the form of 
tinctures, and reduced by 
the addition of diluted 
alcohol or spirits of wine, 
to suit each case. 

Inhaling bottles should 
be made only of the best 
flint glass, and the open- 
ings should be suflicient- 
ly large to enable an in- 
valid to use them without 
any considerable fatigue 
or exhaustion. The one 
used by the author is 
shown in the accompany- 
ing illustration. When 
the disease is situated in the cavity of the nose, then the glass bulb at the 




How to use the "Inhaling Bottle.' 



CATARRH. 127 

end of the inhaling pipe, should be placed in the nostril on either side 
of the nose, and when the disease is located in the cavity of the throat, 
then it should be inserted in the mouth. 

Inhalations should always be used warm, as the substances of which they 
are composed are much more readily reduced to the form of vapor by the 
application of heat. In common colds or influenza, fill the inhaling bottle 
half full of warm water, and then add a teaspoonful of fine salt and a tea- 
spoonful of vinegar, and inhale this for five or ten minutes every hour 
until relief is obtained. 

A solution of salt and rain water will form a very good basis for the 
addition of many other substances before enumerated in the treatment of 
many diseases of the cavity of the nose and throat. Mucus is secreted 
from the follicles of the mucous membrane, to lubricate and protect 
the lining surface of the nose and throat, and when this substance, 
which has been prepared by nature for this purpose, is examined by the 
chemist, it is found to be composed of water holding in solution a little 
chloride of sodium, or common salt. In fact, the mucous membranes are 
always kept soft and moist by being constantly bathed in a saline fluid, 
when in perfect health. Chlorine, iodine, carbolate of soda, opium, bel- 
ladonna, lobelia, are soluble in warm salt and water, and may be used 
according to circumstances, when they are required, by dissolving them 
in this way. 

By means of medicated inhalations all remedies may be applied direct- 
ly to the seat of the disease, in their full strength. When the same rem- 
edies are swallowed into the stomach they must be digested, like our 
food, and then absorbed into the blood and mixed with and diluted in that 
fluid, before they can reach the seat of the disease, and consequently can 
exert but little power in the cure of any local disease of the mucous 
membranes lining the cavities of the nose and throat. When the stomach 
is drenched with irritating and nauseating remedies — ipecac, squills, lobe- 
lia, tartar emetic, &c, digestion is impaired or destroyed, and diseases of 
the nose and throat often complicated, or made worse. But by judicious, 
well-regulated inhalations the proper remedies are applied where they are 
required, directly to the seat of the disease, in sufficient strength to cure 
it, while the stomach may be used to digest food, or for the reception of 
tonic remedies to nourish, strengthen, and build up the whole system. 



128 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 



LECTURE XIV. 
THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 
Fig. 73. 



9t,'\ 




Bones of the Chest. 

Fig. 74 




The organs of respiration consist 
of the bones of the chest, the dia- 
phragm, and the lungs. 

The chest of the human being is 
conical in its shape, with its base or 
larger end downwards, and its apex 
or smaller end upwards. It is com- 
posed of the sternum or breast-bone, 
and ribs upon each side, and a por- 
tion of the spine to which they are 
attached. The first seven ribs be- 
ing firmly attached to the spine and 
breast-bone, are called the true ribs, 
while the other four on each side, 
being unattached to the breast-bone, 
are called the false or floating ribs. 
It will be seen that the ribs do 
not pass directly around the body, 
like the hoops of a barrel, but that they 
arise high up on each side of the spine, and 
descend downwards and forwards around 
the chest until they unite with the breast- 
bone in front, by means of numerous pieces 
of cartilage or gristle, three or four inches 
in length, and which are as flexible as 
pieces of soft rubber. It is owing to this 
peculiar arrangement of the ribs, that 
we are enabled to move them when we 
breathe, very much like the handles of 
the bellows when we blow the fire. This 
movement of the ribs will be best appre- 
ciated by an examination of the accom- 
panying illustration, (fig. 74,) representing 
1, a section of the chest; 2, a section of 
the abdomen ; 3 represents the position 
of the diaphragm; and 7 and 8, the 
position of the breast-bone and muscles of 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 



129 



the abdomen, when we breathe all the air out of our lungs. When we inhale 
a long, full breath, the diaphragm is drawn down to the extent of about three 
inches, (fig 4,) and the breast-bone and anterior ends of the ribs are carried 
upwards and outwards, (figs. 5 and 6,) drawing the air into our lungs much in 
the same way as when we draw the handles of the bellows wide apart, the air 
rushes into their cavity. When we breathe out or expel the air from our 
lungs, the diaphragm rises upwards to (fig. 3,) and the anterior ends of the 
ribs and breast-bone are drawn downwards and inwards to (fig. 7 and 8.) 
When we breathe a deep, full, long breath, we should inhale about two quarts 
of pure air, each full inspiration enlarging the size of our waists about six 
inches in circumference, as seen in the following illlustration, (fig. 75,) re- 
Fig. 75. Fig. 76. 





presenting the position of the diaphragm, walls of the chest, and abdomen, 
and the size of the waist when we inhale a long, full deep breath. When 
we exhale or breathe out two quarts of impure air, or carbonic acid gas 
from our lungs, each expiration our waists should decrease in size about 
six inches in circumference, as seen in fig. 76, showing the position of the 
diaphragm 1, with its convexity greatly increased, reducing the size of the 
cavity of the chest above, and forcing the air out of our lungs. The waist 
is now greatly reduced in size, so that a very tight-fitting dress will hang 
perfectly loose around our small waists, enabling the poor foolish victim of 
fashion and folly to exclaim, " my, only see how loose my dress fits me," 
" I never dress tight," &c. The victims of fashion do not understand that 
there must be a space between the lining of the dress and the walls of the 
chest and abdomen equal to five or six inches, to enable the ribs to move 
and the chest enlarge every time we breathe. Now, it is a very easy mat 



130 THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 

ter to demonstrate by actual measurement, whether any lady dresses her- 
self improperly. Let any victim of fashion who is confident that she does 
not dress too tightly, provide herself with a tape measure, and test her 
own capacity to breathe by the following experiment : Having breathed 
all of the air out of her lungs, and reduced the size of her waist to 
the smallest capacity, then measure it quickly, and so ascertain its size. 
Now inhale a long, deep inspiration, and measure again, and if the waist 
enlarges six inches in circumference, she can triumphantly pass this true 
physiological examination, and is fully entitled to a certificate, stating to 
all the world, that she is a woman with sound lungs, and perfect respira- 
tion. But if the waist only enlarges one inch, then it is demonstrated that 
she can only breathe one-sixth as much as she ought, to snjoy perfect 
health, two inches one-third, three inches one-half, &c. 

From this physiological examination, and infallible test, there is no ap- 
peal, and there can be no dispute. Now it can easily be demonstrated by 
this test, that not one fashionably dressed lady in a thousand, can success- 
fully pass this ordeal, and yet they will all stoutly affirm that they have 
never injured themselves by dressing too tightly. 

As already demonstrated the ribs and the walls of the chest, containing 
the air-bags or lungs, are so contrived and arranged upon mechanical 
principles, that they move very much like the handles of a bellows, when 
used to blow the fire. Separate the handles of the bellows, enlarging the 
size of its cavity, and the air will rush in to fill it, press the handles to- 
gether, and we force the air out, and decrease the size of its cavity. And 
just so of our luDgs : enlarge the size of the chest and waist, and the air will 
rush in through the nose to fill the cavity of the lungs ; compress the chest 
and waist, decreasing its size, and the air is forced out of the cavity of the 
air-cells and lungs. Every one must easily understand, that for the pur- 
pose of blowing a bellows, and kindling a fire the handles of this instru- 
ment must be unrestricted in their action ; and it would be as unphilo- 
sophical for any young lady to apply any article of dress tight around her 
waist and chest, diminishing the action of her ribs in breathing, as it 
would be to tie the handles of the bellows together to promote the efficiency 
of its action. If it was not for the situation and use of the diaphragm in all 
such cases of improper dressing, when the ribs are so compressed as to be 
fixed, and rendered almost motionless, then life could not be sustained but 
for a few minutes. In cases of fracture of the ribs, when a surgeon wishes 
to arrest their motion until the fracture heals, he does so by passing a 
broad bandage around the chest, like a tight fitting dress. 

This world is full of the miserable victims of fashion and folly, with weak 
lungs, feeble circulation of the blood, cold extremities, utterly debilitated and 
exhausted, striving to fan the vital fires which are slowly dying out in their 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 131 

exhausted frames, with bands, belts and corsets firmly fastened around the 
handles of the human bellows or lungs, and wondering why cod liver oil will 
not afford them relief or save them from the consumptive's grave, while they 
still indulge in such pernicious follies. 

But many will exclaim, " I know my waist is very small/' " I was born 
with a small waist/' "I never dressed myself too tightly, &c." This is a 
very common error. All human beings were born with, large waists as may 
be seen on examination of the chest of any child at birth. Indeed all 
mothers are perfectly familiar with this fact from common observation. 
But inasmuch as this shape of the waist is not fashionable or popular 
with a small portion of the human race, they hasten to apply bands, and 
belts around the infant's waist to " bring it into shape" as they term it, 
and "make it look like something." 

At birth, the breast-bone and Fig. 77. 

ribs of the infant, are composed 
principally of cartilaginous or 
gristly materials, which renders 
them as flexible as pieces of soft 
rubber, so that they may be easily 
bent, and the infant's chest and 
waist moulded into any shape we 
please. The lower ribs being un- 
attached to the breast-bone, are 
much the most flexible and easily 
forced inwards against the heart 
and lungs, causing violent palpi- 
tation of the heart, shortness of 
breath, fainting sensation, coldness 
of the extremities, nervous debil- 
ity, &c. When a dealer would 
purchase a horse, he always ex- 
amines his chest to see if it is 
broad and deep, and if he has 
"good wind," &c. If he finds that 
he has a narrow chest and small 
lungs, says he is "chest foundered," 
and good for nothing, and declines 
to purchase him. Now, would it 
not be well for young gentlemen 
in pursuit of healthy wives, — real 

helpmates, to examine the chests Skeleton ofa Child at Birth. 

and waists of the young ladies they would fall in love with, before they 




132 THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 

marry them, or they may regret it afterwards, when they discover that 
their wives are "chest foundered," and utterly useless, except to employ 
doctors and nurses, and to make a man miserable. 

Fin. 78. Fig. 79. 





Natural Waist. Artificial Waist 



The well-developed chest, as seen above, is conical in shape, with its 
base downward, corresponding with the waist, and it tapers upward; but 
when abused by the application of the corset this natural shape is com- 
pletely reversed, or turned upside down, as seen in Fig. 79. 

It is said by many of the victims of fashion that "small waists look 
better," but in what school of beaut?/ this idea had its origin it is impossi- 
ble to determine! Certainly the angular projections of the shoulders and 
waist, produced by cords and whalebones, are not in harmony with any 
law of beauty or art known in ancient or modern times. They do not 
agree with those graceful curves and wavy lines seen so conspicuously 
illustrated in the models of Grecian and Roman beauty. In the flowing 
robes of Juno, Vesta, Diana and Hebe, every part is light, graceful and 
beautiful. Nor can we see anything in the representations of the Graces 
or the Muses to indicate in their dress that they wore corsets, whalebones 
or cordage, and all men of good sense, culture, and sound judgment, men 
whose opinion is worth anything, are universally opposed to wasp waists 
and whaleboned chests ; and yet with all these facts before us, it is scarcely 
possible to discover a young lady of fifteen who has not acquired a dispo- 
sition to voluntarily commit this species of suicide, and there is scarcely a 
well-dressed lady of any age whose chest and waist are not confined by 
dress, in such a manner as to seriously interfere with the movements of 
the ribs and muscles so necessary in perfect respiration. If there is any 
question as to the truth of this assertion, then pass a ribbon around the 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 133 

waist, and let the lady breathe as full a breath as she can, and then mea- 
sure, and it will rarely exceed half an inch. Remove the corsets, cordage 
and whalebone, and it will often be three or four inches ! This is a very 
simple and efficient test, and by its use no person need be deceived by 
mere assertion. Yery few ladies, whose word is the soul of truth in other 
matters, may be trusted in this respect. 

Many of these votaries of fashion and small waists, and tight dresses, 
frequently complain of pain in the side, dizziness, dry cough, poor appetite, 
constipation, and derangement of the functions of digestion, &c, and when 
the doctor suggests, among other means of cure, that they should wear a 
loose dress, the lady at once assures him she " never dresses tight, my 
clothes are always loose," &c. In fact, no lady ever says she dresses tight, 
more especially, if she knows any one of her acquaintance who dresses tighter. 
And then again, she always " feels so uncomfortable without such trappings 
and appendages of fashion, or feels as if she would " fall all to pieces," un- 
less she is tied together with strings, whalebones, hickory wood, &c, to 
support her. And then again she observes, "why, I should look like a 
fright without something of the kind to wear to keep vie in shape. 

Now in answer to the often repeated question, "what do you mean by 
tight dressing?" I answer, anything in the way of dress, which shuts the 
blood out of a single blood-vessel, or the air from a single air-cell in the 
lungs, is too tight for the enjoyment of perfect health. Parents cannot 
be too watchful of their daughters in this respect, carefully excluding 
everything in the way of literature or fashion, from the centre-table or 
the fireside, such as young ladies books, &c. with their fashion plates and 
articles on dress, &c, as models of taste and dress to be imitated, and ex- 
erting an influence upon the minds and hearts of young ladies, which is 
almost omnipotent and productive of the most pernicious and disastrous 
results, so far as their after life and happiness may be concerned. In con- 
clusion, let me say there is but one word that can be urged in favor of 
this most injurious habit of tight dressing, and that single word is "fashion!" 
Reason, religion, ..and common sense are opposed to it. Anatomy and 
physiology, and the love of good health and long life are against it. Grood 
taste, high culture and humanity are all arrayed against it ! 

Now, since it has been demonstrated that all human beings are born 
with large waists, it follows as a necessary consequence, that all small 
waists are made so by artificial means, and a small waist is the best evi- 
dence that it has been awfidly squeezed, either by its owner or some- 
body else! Now, is it not a burning shame, that so many small-Waisted 
young ladies are compelled to do so much hard work all alone, when there 
are so many idle young men, with nothing else to do, almost dying to 
assist them? 



134 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 



Fig. 80. 



Fashion is not often 
founded upon reason or com- 
mon sense, but it is almost 
always the mere heteroge- 
neous dictate of custom or 
society. In some parts of 
the world, as among certain 
African tribes, it is consid- 
ered fashionable to have a 
flat nose, and the mother 
diligently compresses this 
organ early in life, until it 
becomes as flat as a pan- 
cake, and finally becomes 
hereditary, being transmit- 
ted from one generation to 
another. Not all African 
tribes have flat noses, as is 

A Natural, Well-formed Human Head. wpll known 

Again, in other parts of the world it is quite fashionable to have a very 
long nose, and so by dint of certain manipulations, applied early in life, 
it is gradually drawn out long, longer, longest, until it finally resembles 
an eagle's beak ! 




Fig. 81. 



Fig. 82. 




A Peruvian Indian Skull, from the Wistar 
Museum. 




Choctaw Indian Skull, from the 
Wistar Museum. 



Among the Peruvian Indians it is quite fashionable to have 2^ flat head, 
and so the poor, foolish Indian mother applies firm pressure early in life 
to the bones of the forehead, and forces most of the brain behind the ears, 
into the back part of the head, causing many of them to look less 
human and more animal than the monkey. 

Another fashion prevails among the Choctaw Indians, where it is very 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 



135 



Fig 



fashionable to have a large and expansive forehead, and the mother 
applies firm pressure to the bones of the back part of the child's head, 
and forces the brain forward, greatly expanding the bones of the forehead 
and compressing those of the back part, as seen in the foregoing illustra- 
tions (Figs. 81 and 82) from skulls contained in the Wistar Museum, in 
the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia. 

Among the Chinese it is considered very fashionable 
to have a very small foot, and so the ingenious mother 
carefully bandages the feet of her female infant, and 
prevents her feet from growing, until she becomes an 
adult woman; causing that hideous deformity, pain- 
ful and difficult locomotion, so common among Chinese 
women. 

Now, small waists are as much of a deformity among Chinese Woman's Foot. 
Peruvian Indians, as flat heads among Christian women. In fact, all these 




hideous distortions are 
at war with the prin- 
ciples of art, and the 
laws of beauty of the 
human form. Such 
horrible, sickening de- 
formities of the hu- 
man body can only be 
acquired by the delibe- 
rate sacrifice of health, 
strength, grace, beauty 
and long life. 

The Wind-pipe. 

The air-tube in the 
human being commen- 
ces with a remarkable 
enlargement in the 
front part of the neck, 
which is far more con- 
spicuous in man than 
in woman, and is called 
the Adam's apple, from 
the vulgar idea that 
old father Adam was 
a very greedy old fel- 



Fig. 84. 




The Air Tube, Heart, and Lungs. 



136 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 



low, and when mother Eve gave him the famous apple, instead of eating 
a little piece at a time, like a gentleman, he undertook to swallow it whole, 
like a pig, and it stuck in his throat, and according to tradition, has been 
troubling all the sons of Adam, down to the present day. 

This organ is also called the larynx, or the organ of the voice, and 
when carefully examined it will be found to be a musical instrument of the 
highest magnitude and the greatest perfection. In its structure and me- 
chanism it partakes of the nature of the reed and stringed instruments, 
and it combines all of the wonderful powers common to both of them, in 
the production of the human voice. 

The outside of this wonderful instrument is conical in shape, and is 
composed of a number of pieces of cartilage, so arranged as to move upon 
each other, and having attached to them numerous nerves and muscles for 
the purpose of tightening or relaxing the vocal cords, and so varying the 
tone of the voice at our pleasure. In fact, these numerous nerves and 
muscles of the larynx serve much the same purpose as the keys of the 
violin or guitar By turning the keys we tighten or loosen the strings of 
those instruments, and raise their tone at our pleasure. By a mere effort 
of the human will we tighten or relax the vocal cords inside the larynx, 
and vary the tone of the voice. Sometimes these laryngial nerves be- 
come paralyzed, as often seen in old age, when we have no longer any 
control over the tones of the voice. 

When we open the larynx we shall bring into view the four vocal cords, 
two of which are situated on each side, one above and the other below a 
deep depression called the ventricle of the larynx. 

The vocal cords are covered with a pale pink col- 
ored mucous membrane, for their protection. Nu- 
merous mucous follicles are located in the vestibule 
of the larynx, just above the vocal cords, which 
pour out large quantities of white fluid called mu- 
cus, to lubricate the parts, diminish friction, and 
prevent irritation and inflammation, when this won- 

in speaking, reading, 



Fig. 85. 




derful organ is called into use, 
singing, &c. 

It is a well-known physiological law, that all artifi- 
cial stimulation is followed by reaction and debility. 
Now, if we apply any artificial stimulus to these lit- 
tle follicles of the throat and larynx, such as the juice 
and smoke of that vile Indian weed, called tobacco, 
they will pour out floods of mucus, filling the throat 
and mouth until it even runs over, and down the cor- 
ners of the mouth of its miserable victims. Remove this artificial stimulus, 



Section of the Larynx. 

1, 1, Sup'ior Vocal Cords ; 

2, 2, Inferior Vocal Cords ; 
4, 4, Ventricle of the La- 
rynx ; 3, 3, Rima Glotidis. 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 137 

and at once there will be a reaction, followed by debility, and no secretion of 
mucus, when the throat beomes dry, and the voice hoarse, &c. ; when the un- 
fortunate victim of his own appetite says to his companions in folly, 
"come, won't you go in and take something to wet your whistles?" It 
is thus a very easy thing to see how tobacco dries up the whistle, and 
creates an unnatural thirst, which seeks for relief in the intoxicating cup. 

Alas ! how many wretched victims of rum have been created by the 
habitual use of tobacco! It creates within its victims that unnatural 
thirst and love of artificial stimulants which has often proved their ruin. 
By chewing and smoking, the glands and follicles of the throat have be- 
come so weakened and diseased, and the whole system so reduced, that 
they seek solace and relief in that fatal cup which transforms its victims 
into beasts! 

Cultivation op the Voice. 

The larynx may be developed, and the voice cultivated and improved 
by the daily use of this organ in reading, speaking, singing, &c. 
Fig. 8$. 




Ftp t . 87. 




The proper Position in Reading, Speaking, 
Singing, <fec, 



Improper Position while Reading, 
Speaking, Singing, Ac. 



138 THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 

For obtaining the greatest advantage from the exercise of the larynx, 
the air-tube should be kept perfectly straight when called into use. It is 
often noticed that when a rail-road track is perfectly straight for many 
miles, there will be but little friction, when the cars rush along with the 
celerity of the wind ; while along the sharp curves the friction is great, 
and rapidly wears away the iron rails. And so of the wind-pipe and larynx. 
If we hold our heads well up, and keep the neck and air-tube perfectly 
straight, when we inhale a full breath the current of air will be in the 
centre of the straight air-tube, and cause little or no friction of its lining 
surface. If we bend the neck and wind-pipe forward, as many of our pub- 
lic speakers do while speaking, and stand or sit in a stooping position, it 
will cause much irritation, followed by inflammation, and disease of the 
mucous membrane lining the throat and larynx, with hoarseness, loss of 
voice, &c. 

How often we must regret the violation of this important physiological 
law, as we listen to the reading and recitations of the children in our pub- 
lic schools. Sometimes a little bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked girl, will stand up 
before you as straight as an arrow, ringing out every syllable of every word 
as distinctly as the tones of a silver bell; while some clown of a boy, standing 
with his spine bent so crooked that it represents the segment of a circle, 
reads, and you cannot understand a single word of what he attempts to 
utter. 

Mamma sometimes invites you to listen while her charming daughter, 
Mary Louisa Jane sings and plays at the piano. If the young lady is 
blest with a short neck, and is very familiar with the music, and prudently 
seats herself on a low music stool, and leans well back, keeping the larynx 
and wind-pipe perfectly straight, she can articulate every word and note of 
the poetry and music, blended in perfect harmony, filling your whole heart 
and soul with transports of joy and happiness. 

Again, when you listen it may be to one of these long-backed and short- 
sighted young misses, with a long swan-like neck, perched on a high music 
stool, and quite unfamiliar with the music, and when she sings you can 
scarcely understand whether she is screaming, screeching or crying 1 

We are often compelled to think of the same sinful violation of this physi- 
ological law, when we listen to the sermons of some of our clergyman, Dr. 
Chapin or Beecher, standing behind a high desk or pulpit, though strictly 
confined to their manuscript, when the work is brought well up to them, 
can preach for hours with little fatigue or exertion ; while one of our tall 
New Hampshire kind of clergymen, placed behind a low desk, and much 
confined to his manuscript, will completely exhaust himself in forty minutes, 
and kill himself in a few years. 



the organs of respiration. 139 

Diseases of the Larynx. 

Nearly all diseases of the larynx impairing or totally destroying the 
voice, are caused by inflammation. Sometimes the glottis becomes inflamed 
and swollen from exposure to sudden colds, or a damp atmosphere, closing 
the small aperture opening into the wind-pipe, as seen in fig. 89., causing 
difficult breathing, crowing respiration, suffocation and death. 
Fig. 88. Fig. 89. 




Back part of the Nose, behind the Palate, base Emphysema of the Glottis closing the 

of the Tongue and opening of the Larynx. Air-Tube. 

This terrible disease is called emphysema of the glottis, and is one of the most 
sudden and dangerous to which the larynx is subject. It was this fearful 
disease that destroyed the life of Mr. Brooks, member of Congress from 
South Carolina, so well known from his assault upon senator Sumner, of 
Massachusetts, in less than an hour after he was first attacked. 

Treatment. Warm fomentation and poultices to the neck outside at 
the commencement of the attack, and the inhalation of the vapor of warm 
water, to which a few drops of tincture of lobelia and belladonna have been 
added, is the most appropriate means of abating the inflammation and 
overcoming the spasm and stricture of the larynx. Small pieces of ice 
held in the mouth, and when partially melted slowly swallowed down over 
the inflamed surface, will be of great service. 

Croup. 
This terrible disease is caused by exposure to a damp atmosphere, in 
badly ventilated rooms, want of sufficient clothing, heats, colds, &c, 
causing violent inflammation of the cavity of the larynx, fever with difficult 
respiration, exhaustion and death. 



140 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 




Treatment. When first attacked with inflammation of the cavity of the 
larynx, followed by difficult and croupy respiration, place the child in a hot 
salt bath for ten minutes, in a warm room, and then wipe dry, and place it 
in bed covered with flannel blankets, and administer an emetic composed 
of an even teaspoonful of powdered alum, and Fig. 90. 

the same quantity of powdered ipecac, to produce 
free emesis or vomiting. The temperature of 
the room should be carefully watched, and every 
pains taken to keep it warm, and prevent addi- 
tional colds. When applied early, this treat- 
ment rarely fails to afford prompt relief. 

In protracted cases which have been neglect- 
ed at the commencement of the attack, or im- 
properly treated, when lymph has been secreted, 
and false membranes formed, alum washes 
should be used freely ; and if the danger of 
suffocation is great, inhale the vapor of sul- 
phuric ether freely, to excite the secretion of 
mucus, and the exfoliation and removal of the 
false membrane which threatens to close the 
mouth of the air-tube. 

Diphtheria. 

This alarming and terrible disease usually first makes its appearance in 
the cavity of the throat, in the form of violent inflammation, accompanied 
with high fever, which soon extends downwards to the cavity of the larynx, 
and is followed by the effusion of small patches of greyish lymph, filling 
the cavities of the throat and larynx, causing difficult breathing, great ex- 
haustion, feelings of soffocation and death. 

Treatment. In all such diseases early treatment is of the greatest im- 
portance. The invalid should at once be placed in bed in a large, well- 
aired and well-ventilated room, and carefully kept warm. At the com- 
mencement of the attack administer a warm bath for ten minutes, and 
then apply fomentations or poultices of warm water to the skin outside of 
the throat, changing them often ; fill an inhaling bottle half full of warm 
water, and add a teaspoonful of fine salt, thirty drops of carbolic acid, and 
a few drops of laudanum : inhale the hot steam or vapor from this freely 
several times a day. Put a teaspoonful of chlorate of potash in a cup of 
warm water, and with a camel's hair brush apply freely to the inside of 
the throat. Keep up the patient's strength by the administration of beef 
tea, giving a teaspoonful of the following mixture three or four times a 
day: 



Cavity of the Larynx, exhibiting a 
False Membrane, aa seen in Croup 



THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 



141 



B. Chlorate of Potash, . . 2 Drachms, 

Tinct. of Chloride of Iron, . 1 ounce, 
Quinine, .... 30 Grains, 

Syrup of Lemons, . . .8 ounces. 
Mix. 

Ulceration of the Larynx. 

Inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the larynx, when impro- 
perly treated or neglected, may result in ulceration, causing cough, with 
thickening and irritation, the secretion of Fig. 91. 

small quantities of thick, greyish, adhesive 
or gluey matter, especially in the morning, 
with hoarseness, &c. This disease is very com- 
mon among public speakers who have over- 
exercised or abused the organs of speech, and 
if not speedily arrested it may result in the 
destruction of the vocal cords, or in the for- 
mation of small, fleshy granulations, or tu- 
mors, inside of the larynx, and irreparable 
loss of the voice. 

Numerous remedies have been recom- 
mended for the cure of this disease, upon 
which very little dependence can be placed. 
For several years the author has prescribed 
the tincture of gum benzoine and carbolic acid, 
as an inhalation, with much success. 

These remedies should be used in warm water, three or four times a day. 
When polypoid tumours have been formed, they should be removed by a 
delicate operation. 

In all cases of acute inflammation of the throat, accompanied with great 
pain and soreness, use warm inhalations, composed of a teaspoonful of fine 
salt, and half a teacupful of warm water, with a teaspoonful of tincture 
of lobelia and a teaspoonful of tincture of belladonna, to soften and relax 
the parts and remove the soreness, and promote the free discharge of 




Formation of Polypoid Tumors 
inside of the Larynx. 



mucus, &c. 



10 



142 



THE AIR-TUBE. 



LECTURE XV. 

THE AIR-TUBE. 

The larynx, or organ of the voice, terminates in the wind-pipe, or tra- 
chea, which continues on down behind the heart, where it divides into two 
principal branches, called the bronchial tubes, which again divide and sub- 
divide into a great multitude of small branches which finally terminate in 
lobules composed of numerous air-cells, as seen in Fig. 92. 

Fig. 92. 




The Larynx, Trachea, Bronchial Tubes, and Lobules, in the Interior of the Lungs. 

The air-tube is composed of numerous imperfectly formed cartilaginous 
rings, which are united together by fibrous tissues, and lined with a very 
delicate, pale, pink-colored mucous membrane, which is continuous with 
the whole lining surface of the air- tube. When the mucous membrane 
lining the trachea, or wind-pipe, becomes irritated, inflamed, or ulcerated, 
from exposure to heats and colds, or a damp atmosphere, draughts, &c, 



THE AIR-TUBE. 143 

causing irritation, tickling sensations in the air-tube, with shortness of 
breath, and the secretion of thick, tough, adhesive mucus, wheezing res- 
piration, cough, and profuse expectoration of thin, white, slimy matter, 
sometimes mixed with streaks of blood, flashes of heat, followed by chills 
and fevers, the disease is called pulmonary catarrh, or bronchitis. 

When this disease is neglected, or is improperly treated, it becomes 
chronic, and the expectoration becomes thick and of a yellowish or green- 
ish color, and is often very profuse. 

This disease almost always commences in the nose with sneezing and 
profuse discharge of mucus, and if not promptly arrested by proper treat- 
ment, extends downwards to the lining of the throat, followed by tickling 
sensations, and the formation of a little tenacious mucus, which adheres 
closely to the lining surface of the throat, causing frequent hawking and 
other efforts to remove it. The larynx, or organ of the voice, soon be- 
comes involved, when the mucous membrane lining its surface becomes 
inflamed, causing hoarseness, tickling sensations, and a violent cough, with 
the secretion of small quantities of tough, adhesive mucus, &c. 

When this disease reaches the lining surface of the bronchial tubes it 
causes fever, tightness across the chest, difficulty of respiration, profuse 
secretion of white, frothy mucus, cough, wheezing respiration, &c. 

When this disease first manifests itself, and is confined to the nose, throat 
and upper portion of the air-tube, it is easily cured by the use of a warm 
bath for ten or fifteen minutes, and confinement to the bed a few days, in 
a warm, well ventilated room, with the free use of warm demulcent fluids, 
such as barley-water, flaxseed or slippery elm bark tea, and the use of sa- 
line cathartics, such as the citrate of magnesia, and the inhalation of the 
vapors of warm salt and water, to which may be added a few drops of the 
solution of iodine, and iodide of potash. Iodide of potash four grains, iodine 
four grains, water one ounce, fill the inhaling bottle half-full of warm salt 
water, and add from ten to sixty drops of this solution, and inhale five or 
or ten minutes, for rose cold, catarrh, or sore throat, at the commencement 
of the attack. When this diseases is of long standing, and the inflamma- 
tion of the mucous membrane lining the air-tube has become chronic with 
profuse expectoration of thick yellowish or greenish mucous, especially in 
the morning with profuse night sweats and a cold clammy skin, and great de- 
bility, then the treatment requires to be more tonic and stimulating to the 
diseased membrane. 

B. Muriate of Ammonia, . . 1 ounce, 

Pulv. Liquorice, . . .1 ounce, 

White Sugar, ... 4 ounces, 

Boiling Water, . ... 8 ounces. 

Mix and stir until it dissolves. 



144 THE AIR-TUBE. 

Take a teaspoonful of this mixture three or four times a day, and inhale 
the warm stimulating tincture of camphor and tincture of gum benzoine, 
to decrease the profuse expectoration, diminish the cough, &c. 

The skin covering the outside surface of the human body, and the mu- 
cous membrane lining the air-tube and air-cells, sympathize with each other 
in health and disease. In this disease, the skin often becomes so tender 
and impressible, that the least exposure to cold, or a draft of damp air, 
will be followed by a chill and fever, with flashes of heat, and an increased 
flow of blood into the lungs, congestion of the mucous membrane lining 
the air-tubes, increased cough and expectoration, &c. 

This excessive tenderness and impressibility of the skin may be dimin- 
ished by systematic bathing with cold salt water, in a warm room, once or 
twice a day. It will be sufficient to expose only a part of the skin at a 
time at first, and wash with a sponge or wet towel, and afterwards rub the 
skin briskly, or until it is red, and glows with heat. In a short time, this 
treatment will harden the skin, and diminish its tenderness and liability 
to colds from exposure to sudden changes of temperature, &c. 

How to Stop Coughing. 

In bronchitis there is always much tickling and irritation of the lining 
surface of the air-tube, with great desire to cough, which is often indulged 
to a ruinous extent. 

When the skin covering the hand has been blistered, and the inflamed 
surface itches and discharges freely, and you wish it to heal, and get well 
quickly, you do not chafe and rub it, but carefully cover the diseased and 
inflamed surface with mild, healing ointments, and allow it to rest until it 
heals! 

And so of the mucous membrane lining the air-tube, when inflamed and 
ulcerated. When you desire to speedily overcome the inflammation, or 
heal the ulceration, you will carefully avoid irritating the diseased mucous 
membrane lining the air-tube by fits of convulsive coughing, conversation, 
&c, and allow your lungs to rest as far as possible. Irreparable damage is 
often done to the diseased mucous membrane lining the air-tube, by the 
friction and irritation induced and kept up by constant indulgence in re- 
peated fits of convulsive coughing. Yery few invalids have any adequate 
idea of how much damage they can do themselves in this way. In fact, 
nearly all cases of rupture of the blood-vessels of the lungs, followed by 
fatal hemorrhages, are brought on by coughing! In chronic bronchitis 
even the respiration of cold, damp air will always increase the cough, and 
should be carefully avoided. A residence in a warm, dry climate, has 
always been recommended to invalids suffering with this disease. When 
out and exposed to the cold, damp air, close the mouth and breathe 



THE AIR-TUBE. 



145 



through the nose, and in this way warm the air, while passing through the 
nasal passages, before it reaches the diseased mucous membrane lining the 
air-tubes within the lungs. 

The Air Cells. 
As before mentioned, the bronchial tubes terminate in numerous lobules, 
as seen in Fig. 92, which are Fkj. 93. 

composed of great numbers of 
air-cells, for the reception of 
the air we breathe. These 
lobules resemble a cluster of 
grapes, and the air-bags, or 
cells, which are appended to 
each lobule resemble the fruit 
appended to the stem of each 
cluster. The little air-cells 
which are appended to the 
lobules are so exceedingly- 
numerous, and so very mi- 
nute, that it is estimated by 
physiologists that there are 
more than twenty millions of 
them attached to each bron- 
chial tube, and more than six 
hundred millions of them at- 
tached to all of the bronchial 
tubes in the lungs of a single 
human being. 

Physiology op Respiration. 
When we distend the chest by the combined action of the muscles, 
ribs, and diaphragm, enlarging the size of the waist about six inches, the 
air rushes in through the air-tube to nil the vacuum in the cavity of the 
chest, distending and filling each one of the little air-cells with pure air. 
At the same moment the right lower chamber of the heart contracts, and 
sends the blood out through the pulmonary artery into the lungs, and 
while it circulates through the minute capillary blood vessels which ramify 
over the outside surface of the air-cells, like a vine upon a trellis, the 
blood gives off its poisonous carbonic acid gas, and at the same time ab- 
sorbs the vital principle of the air we breathe, called oxygen, and so lite- 
rally "breathes into the blood the breath of life," rendering it a living 
fluid, capable of nourishing, building up, and repairing the wear and waste 
of all the organs of the body. In this way we breathe about twenty 




Bronchial Tubes, terminating in two Lobules, with 
an accompanying Pulmonary Artery and Vein dis- 
tributed over the surface of the Air-Cella. 



146 THE AIR-TUBE. 

times a minute, twelve hundred times an hour, and about twenty-eight 
thousand times every twenty-four hours. Every time we breathe it is es- 
timated that about two quarts of air pass in and out of our lungs; ten 
gallons every minute, six hundred gallons an hour, and more than fourteen 
thousand gallons every twenty-four hours. 

If we fill a glass tumbler with lime water, and then breathe into it 
through a glass tube, for a few moments, the poisonous carbonic acid gas 
which we exhale from our lungs will unite with the solution of lime in 
the water, forming a carbonate of lime, causing the water to become tur- 
bid and milky, showing the large amount of poisonous matter we are con- 
stantly exhaling from our lungs. 

It is estimated that a single human being exhales about one-and-a-half 
pounds of water, in the form of vapor, and one pound of solid carbon from 
his lungs every twenty-four hours. 

Asthma. 

There are two forms of asthma, one of which is incurable, and depends 
Fig. 94. upon organic disease of the heart and 

great blood-vessels, or dilation of the 
air-cells, as shown in Fig. 94. In this 
form of asthma there is continuous 
painful and difficult respiration, much 
increased by walking, or other exer- 
cise, and by changes of temperature, 
&c. In this form of disease, depend- 
ing upon structural changes, there is 
no hope of cure. All that can be 
accomplished is palliation, by care of 
the diet, and other habits, avoiding 
every known source of debility and 
exhaustion, such as the habitual use 
of tea, coffee, tobacco, &c. The best 
palliatives are the fumes of nitre, or 
Eupture of the Bronchial Tubes and Air- the vapors of stramonium, lobelia, and 
Cells in Asthma. sulphuric ether. 

In spasmodic asthma there is no disorganization of tissues, or unnatu- 
ral changes of the air-tubes, or air-cells of the lungs. The disease only 
manifests itself occasionally, while there are intervals of complete relief. 
This form of disease may generally be promptly relieved and often per- 
manently cured, by careful regulation of the habits, and the use of iodide 
of potash in four-grain doses before meals, and inhalation of the vapors 
of tincture of lobelia, tincture of stramonium and sulphuric ether, three or 
four times a day. 




THE AIR-TUBE. 



147 



Fig. 95. 



Pulmonary Consumption. 

The air-cells of the lungs are also the seat of that very interesting dis- 
ease known as phthisis pulmonalis, or tubercular consumption. This ter- 
rible disease, like a pale and withering pestilence, is estimated to destroy 
no less than one hundred thousand human beings every year, in the United 
States alone. It does not prey upon the poor and the uneducated classes 
only, but it claims its numerous victims from the noblest, most gifted, 
highly educated, and refined classes of society ! 

In this disease, tubercular deposits are formed in all of the tissues and 
organs of the body, but more especially in the cavities of the air-cells of 
the lungs, filling them full of grey or yellow cheesy matter, causing short 
and imperfect respiration, in consequence 
of the accumulation of tubercular mat- 
ter in and around the cavities of the air- 
cells in the lungs. 

In perfect health, the air-cells of the 
lungs are open and empty, like the cells 
of empty honey combs, to receive the air 
every time we breathe, and in this con- 
dition the lungs weigh only from two to 
three ounces. 

On this account the lungs are often 
called the lights. In tubercular consump- 
tion the air-cells are filled with grey or 
yellow cheesy matter, resembling the 
honey-comb when the cells are filled with 
wax or honey, so that the air we breathe 
cannot penetrate the air-cells, and cleanse 
and purify the blood. 

What are Tubercles? 
All physiological chemists have shown by careful analysis that tubercu- 
lar or scrofulous 'matter is composed of the same elements which enter 
into the formation of healthy lungs and other tissues, in different parts 
of the body. Tubercular or scrofulous matter is not composed of poison- 
ous or impure materials, as is generally supposed. When grey or yellow 
tubercular matter is examined by means of the microscope, it is found to 
be composed of imperfectly formed blood-cells. The food eaten by tuber- 
culous or scrofulous persons, instead of being well digested, and converted 
into healthy blood-cells, out of which alone healthy tissues and organs of 
the body can be formed, is badly digested, and converted into imperfectly- 
formed blood-cells, which cannot be used, on account of their imperfection, 




Section of a Lobule, and numerous Air- 
Cells, showing their Empty Cavities for the 
reception of Air every time we Breathe. 



148 



THE AIR-TUBE. 



Fig. 96. 




Healthy Blood-Cells. 



in the construction of healthy 
tissues and organs of the body, 
and are therefore cast aside, as 
refuse or useless material, form- 
ing deposits of yellow or grey 
tubercles in the lungs, or in the 
glands of the neck, causing them 
to enlarge, inflame and suppu- 
rate, in the bones, membranes of 
the brain, kidneys, liver, and all 
the organs of the body, causing 
inflammation, followed by sup- 
puration, and decay of the parts 
that are diseased. Scrofulosis, 
or scrofula, and tuberculosis, or 
tubercular consumption, are con- 
sidered as identical by all the best authors upon scrofula and consumption. 
Fkj. 97. Scrofula and consumption are 

diseases which are caused by de- 
fective nutrition, or inability to 
convert the food which is eaten 
into healthy blood-cells. It 
arrests the whole process of 
healthy organization and devel- 
opment, so that the food which 
is eaten no longer serves the 
purpose of building up healthy 
tissues and organs, but serves 
only to form tubercles, which 
are usually deposited in the 
weakest organs of the body, and 
most frequently the lungs and 
glands about the neck and 
throat, where they finally create inflammation, soften and suppurate, form- 
ing cavities and consumptive or scrofulous ulcerations, &c. 

It will be seen that tubercles are foreign substances of a low and 
imperfect organization, and are the result of impaired nutrition, and may 
easily be produced by any cause which impairs the process of digestion. 

Consumption and scrofula are diseases of debility, and are produced by 
any employment, habit or indulgence which weakens and exhausts the body; 
more especially the organs of digestion and nutrition, by the use of 
indigestible and unwholesome food, which the organs of digestion have 




Scrofulous Blood-Cells. 



THE AIR-TUBE. 149 

not the power to convert into healthy blood-cells, and form into healthy- 
tissues and organs of the body. 

Formation op Tubercles in the Lungs. 

Scrofula and consumption may be easily produced at will in any of the 
domestic animals, and in man by injudicious feeding or the use of impro- 
per food, which may be indigestible or innutritious. " Extremes meet" in 
all things, and more especially in regard to the food we eat. 

When great multitudes of imperfectly organized blood-cells have been 
formed in the blood, as the result of imperfect digestion and assimilation 
of the food which has been eaten, they will be deposited in the weakest 
organs of the body. Unfortunately in many persons the lungs are the 
weakest organs, more especially in women and children. The lungs are the 
last organs of the body which are developed before birth, and consequent- 
ly children are all born with weak lungs, and especial care is requisite to 
prevent the development of tubercular disease in infancy, by the use of 
insufficient or unwholesome food, want of cleanliness and sunlight, and 
exposure to a cold, damp atmosphere, or sleeping in badly ventilated 
rooms, &c. 

M. G-uerin of Paris, has shown by experiments upon the lower animals, 
how easily scrofula aud consumption may be induced by feeding very 
young and feeble animals upon strong diet, such as older animals with 
strong and vigorous digestive organs, could easily digest. When fed upon 
unwholesome and indigestible food, causing irritation and inflammation of 
the organs of digestion, they soon became sickly and delicate, and finally 
died, covered with eruptive diseases and scrofulous ulcerations, and when 
their lungs and other organs were removed and examined, they were found 
to be completely infiltrated with cheesy tubercular matter. 

What a fearful comment his experiments are upon the wicked and absurd 
custom of feeding infants and young children, upon meats, pastry, candy, 
sweetmeats, tea, coffee, &c. I am often asked by the parents of such chil- 
dren, where scrofula comes from? at the same time assuring me, "there is 
none of it in their families !" It is true that scrofula is sometimes inherited, 
but far more often it comes from the kitchen. 

When tubercles have been deposited in the lungs, they are like for eign 
bodies introduced into the flesh in any part of the body, and like splints or 
slivers of wood in the flesh, their presence soon causes irritation, and then 
inflammation of the surrounding healthy tissues of the lungs, followed by 
softening of the tubercles, the formation of matter, and profuse expectora- 
tion, &c. 



150 



THE AIR-TUBE. 




FlG - 9 * Cavities in the 

Lungs. 

When these tuber- 
cles soften, and the 
matter they form is 
coughed up and ex- 
pectorated, they will 
leave large excava- 
tions in the lungs. 

These cavities grad- 
ually extend them- 
selves, and their lining 
surface continues to 
pour out large quanti- 
ties of matter, until 
the unhappy victim 
of consumption, be- 
comes exhausted by 

Section of the Air-Tube and Lungs, Bhowing dark deposits of ,-■ • ■%• ■, ■, 

cheesy tubercular matter, and several cavities formed by softened © 

and expectorated tubercular matter. death closes the Scene. 

Cure of Consumption. 

Having shown how consumption is caused by imperfect nutrition, and 
the formation of immature or imperfectly developed blood-cells, and their 
deposit in the lungs and other organs of the body, as foreign substances 
resulting from imperfect digestion and assimilation, it will be easily under- 
stood that for the cure of consumption, we must first arrest the further 
production of tubercular blood-cells, by the improvement of the organs of 
digestion and nutrition. 

It is very evident, that no matter how efficient the means used to remove 
the tubercular deposits, which have already taken place in the lungs, that 
they will all fail to cure consumption, unless the further formation and de- 
posit of tubercular matter can be arrested. 

This can never be effected by filling the cavity of the stomach with vile 
nostrums and compounds, containing tart, emetic, lobelia, opium, morphine, 
mandrake pills, &c, any one of which would soon make a well man sick, and 
kill an invalid by weakening the stomach, and still further impairing the 
process of digestion and nutrition. 

There is no disease which requires a more careful regulation of the 
diet than consumption, and the condition of the stomach and organs of di- 
gestion, should be as carefully attended to, as the condition of the lungs, 
in order to ascertain what kind of food agrees best with each individual 



THE AIR-TUBE. 151 

case of consumption, for it will soon be ascertained that the kind of food 
which agrees best with one case, will not always agree with another. 

Heavy, indigestible food must be carefully avoided. As a general rule, 
raw beef cut in very thin slices, not thicker than a wafer, will digest much 
better than cooked meat. It may be eaten freely three times a day, with 
good, coarse, stale wheat bread, and cream and butter. The diet should 
be very simple and nourishing, and consist of only one or two kinds of 
food, at a time. The stomach is often injured by eating a great variety 
of food at the same time. No habit can be more pernicious to the con- 
sumptive. Carefully abstain from the use of fried or baked meat. These 
methods of cooking meat only harden its fibre, and render it more insolu- 
ble and indigestible in the weak juices of the human stomach. Many an 
unhappy consumptive has perished while striving to digest fried meat 
soaked in grease. When any human being can eat and digest such food, 
they do not need a doctor, but plenty of wood to chop ! 

It is the custom of friends to tempt the delicate stomach and feeble 
organs of digestion of the consumptive with all sorts of little delicacies, 
such as fruit, cakes, jellies, &c, when they do not relish more wholesome, 
nutritious food. This course cannot be too severely condemned, as pro- 
ductive of the most serious mischief; often preventing recovery. 

As a rule a consumptive should eat, every twenty-four hours, about one 
pound of raw beef, cut in very thin slices, not thicker than a wafer,, and 
warmed before the fire, with a little salt to season it, with a sufficient 
quantity of coarse, stale, wheat bread, and cream or butter; and after eating 
drink water only. 

Yarious tonic remedies may be taken to invigorate the stomach, aid 
digestion, and arrest the further formation of tubercular blood cells, such 
as the preparations of iron, lime, potash, and soda, with quinine bark, &c. 
(See formula.) 

Every vice, bad habit or indulgence, which weakens and debilitates the 
constitution, must be abandoned as inimical to recovery from consump- 
tion, such as the habitual use of tobacco, tea, coffee, &c. When the 
cough is very annoying and exhausting, with profuse expectoration, &c, 
it may be controlled by the judicious inhalation of the vapors of opium, 
belladonna, or stramonium, and when there are cavities in the lungs the 
healing process may be promoted by inhaling the vapors of creosote, or 
carbolic acid, or oil of tar, by means of a good inhaling bottle. 

The inhaling bottle invented and used by the author may be seen in 
Fig. 72. It may be used with great advantage in the treatment of all 
diseases of the nose, throat, air-tubes, and lungs. 



152 HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 

LECTURE XVI. 
HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 

The great object of respiration is to cleanse and purify the blood. The 
atmospheric air which we breathe is composed of oxygen or vital air, 
united with nitrogen and carbonic acid gasses. The oxygen of the atmo- 
sphere is continually being exhaled by the leaves of trees and plants, 
which were first created to purify the air, and prepare the earth for the 
habitation of man, while carbonic acid gas is continually being exhaled by 
the lungs of all animals, and absorbed by the leaves of plants and trees, 
for their growth and development ! Thus the animal and vegetable king- 
doms continually balance each other, and minister to each others' wants 
and necessities. 

When we inhale pure oxygen gas, it produces a degree of stimulation 
amounting almost to intoxication, and hence, to prevent over-stimulation 
and the production of disease and premature decay, it is diluted with ni- 
trogen in the composition of the atmosphere we breathe, so that it may be 
adapted to all the purposes of respiration, and the promotion of health. 

The food we eat contains a portion of nutriment, combined with innu- 
titious substances, and this combination is indispensable to preserve the 
healthy action of the functions of digestion. When pure concentrated 
extracts of meat or vegetables are eaten, without any coarse food contain- 
ing innutritious substances, they will soon cause disease of the organs of 
digestion ; and so of the respiration of pure oxygen gas. The lungs are 
not adapted to respiration of undiluted oxygen. It is too stimulating, 
and its use will be soon followed by reaction, with debility, and disease of 
the heart and lungs. 

The strength and activity of all of the various forms of animal life is 
about in proportion to their capacity to breathe pure atmospheric air. In 
all of the inferior animals, where there is little or no provision made for 
respiration, their blood is cold, and their movements feeble, torpid and in- 
active, as may be seen in the earth-worm, snail and many of the reptiles. 
Many animals hibernate or secrete themselves in dens during the winter, 
and become torpid and inactive, for want of fresh air and active respiration. 
Examine the little humming-bird, whose gossamer wings move with a 
velocity scarcely distinguishable, as it sips the nectarous juice from flower 
to flower, and we shall discover very large lungs and great capacity for res- 
piration, in proportion to the size of its body. The lungs of the humming- 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 153 

bird move with great rapidity, enabling it to inhale large quantities of pure 
air, which warms and stimulates its blood, and infuses the most wonderful 
energy and activity into its delicate organization. 

The lungs of the eagle are large in proportion to the rest of the body, 
and they are not only adapted to receive large quantities of air, but their 
larger extremities are pervious, so that the air not only passes into, but 
through them, and out into all of their tissues ; and even into their bones 
and the ends of their quills, so that nearly the whole body of this noble 
bird becomes subservient to the purposes of respiration ! 

The grey forest eagle — oh ! where has he fled ? 

Does he shrink to his eyrie, shiv'ring with dread ? 

Does the lightning blind his eye ? has the terrible blast 

O'er the wing of the sky-king a fear-fetter cast ? 

Ah ! no, no : the brave eagle thinks not of flight ; 

The wrath of the tempest but rouses delight. 

To the flash of the lightning his eye casts a gleam ; 

To the shriek of the wild blast he echoes his scream. — 

With front like a warrior spread to the fray, 

With clapping of pinions is up and away. 

Aye, away ! away soars the fearless and free ; 

Reckless of the sky-strife, its monarch is he. 

The lightning darts 'round him — undaunted his flight : 

Still upward, high upward, he wheels, 'till his form 

Is lost in the black, scowling gloom of the storm. 

Common observation has taught all men that when a horse has a broad, 
deep chest, he is always strong, and capable of performing great feats of 
physical power. When asked to purchase a horse with a narrow, wedge- 
shaped chest, all men will reply, your horse is chest-foundered, and good 
for nothing. Now, there are thousands of fashionable young ladies and 
gentlemen who are chest-foundered, and a little trot or exercise will put 
them all out of breath, rendering them incapable of engaging in a stirring, 
active, and useful life. 

Common observation and experience has taught all men to look with 
respect upon the broad chest and manly proportions of the athletic man ; 
while on the contrary, a narrow chest, round shoulders, and a stooping 
figure, are associated with physical weakness, effeminacy, and premature 
decay ! 

When any man wishes to manifest his greatest strength, or do his best, 
for any given purpose, he will always precede the trial by repeated long 
inspirations of pure air to strengthen and invigorate his system. If, for 
instance, a man would jump thirty feet at a single leap, he will always 
loosen his dress, and remove his coat and vest, or whatever impedes per- 
fect respiration, and then prepare himself for this great effort, by inhaling 



154 HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 

long, deep inspirations of pure air ! Suppose a man wishes to lift a ton, 
(and many people will say they can do so out West, especially when they 
are only a little mad!) then he will inflate his lungs several times to their 
utmost capacity, close his mouth, and compress his nostrils, to retain the 
vital air within his lungs, while he lifts like a giant. 

Longevity. 

All animals live to attain a longer or shorter period of life, accidents 
excepted, about in proportion to their capacity for respiration. Pure at- 
mospheric air is the greatest of all known tonics. 

The infusoria are all short-lived animals. They live to attain but an 
ephemeral existence of a few moments, when they wither and perish ; 
while the eagle and lion become hoary with age, and attain extraordinary 

longevity. 

" Ah ! that eagle of freedom, age dims not his eye ; 
He has seen earth's mortality, spring, bloom and die. 
He has seen proud nations rise, flourish and fall. 
But mocks at time's changes, and triumphs o'er all. 
His presence ever shall bless his own native clime, 
Till the foot of the archangel is placed on time !" 

Accidents excepted, human beings live to attain a longer or shorter pe- 
riod of life, just in proportion to their capacity to breathe. In fact, all 
of our life insurance companies understand and act upon this principle, 
and hence the care with which they examine the lungs of all applicants 
for life insurance, before they issue a policy. After examining the vital 
organs with care, knowing the habits and employments of the applicant, 
they are enabled to predict with great certainty the average duration of 
human life ! 

How to Strengthen Weak Lungs. 

At birth, the lungs are the weakest and most liable to disease, of all the 
organs of our bodies ; and by exercise, as we advance in life, they are gra- 
dually unfolded and developed, until they become large, strong, and powerful. 

And so of the rudiments of the human mind and feelings. They are 
innate or heaven born ; but the transcendent powers of the statesman, 
poet, and scholar, as well as the sacred sentiments of the philanthropist, 
depend upon the education and culture which he receives in infancy ! 
Strike out common schools, shut up our religious temples and seminaries 
of learning, and rapid will be the march of man backwards to a state of 
mental and moral imbecility and barbarism ! 

What is true of our mental and moral, is also true of our physical na- 
ture. Close the gymnasium and the play-grounds, deny access to the 
green hills, mountains, and luxuriant plains, for exercise and physical de- 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 155 

velopment, and rapid will be the decline of the health, strength, and beauty 
of the American people ! 

The lungs may be called into action and developed both directly and 
indirectly, by physical exercise. When we sit or recline, the lungs move 
slow and imperfectly, and the number of inspirations are diminished. 
"When we exercise vigorously the lungs move far more actively, and inspi- 
ration is deeper and far more perfect. Idleness and indolence are often 
the parents of pulmonary consumption, and this is one of the reasons why 
this disease is so often the scourge of the wealthy and the affluent. 

Have you sons and daughters who have weak lungs ? Then remove the 
debility by well-regulated physical exercise. Encourage your daughters 
to play the graces; to drive the hoop and jump the rope, in the sunlight 
and open air. All such exercise calls into action the muscles of the arms 
and chest, rapidly increasing the size of the cavity of the chest, and de- 
veloping the lungs and vital organs. If this kind of physical training 
was better attended to in youth, there would be comparatively little dan- 
ger of consumption and kindred diseases in after life. 

Many of the most learned and distinguished members of the medical 
profession have arrested and removed a strong predisposition to this dis- 
ease, not by shutting themselves up in warm, badly-ventilated rooms, at a 
temperature of sixty or seventy degrees, and taking sarsaparilla and cod- 
liver oil, but by taking their staff in hand, with a knapsack thrown over 
their shoulders, wending their way across the broad Alleghenies. While 
ascending the steep and rugged acclivities of these mountain ranges, they 
will be compelled to arrest their footsteps frequently, to inhale the fresh 
breezes, loaded with the perfumes of the flowers and the odors of health, 
and will soon experience a freedom from that uncomfortable tightness and 
soreness of the chest which they had not felt for many long and weary 
months. 

Dr. Liston, of London, the celebrated British surgeon, when he first 
came to London to practise his profession, was strongly predisposed to 
consumptive disease. Instead of shutting himself up in his office, he 
went out upon the Thames and rowed a boat one hour every morning, for 
the purpose of developing his lungs and improving his chest, with most 
wonderful success, and became distinguished among his medical brethren 
as "the broad-shouldered Liston." 

When Dr. Parrish, of Philadelphia, was attacked with pulmonary con- 
sumption, he did not shut himself up in his house and take the various 
nostrums so popular in his day. He knew from his vast professional ob- 
servation that such a course would be followed by certain death, so he 
purchased a carriage without springs, and spent many hours every day 
riding over the rough pavements, and soon threw off every indication of 



156 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 



Ms disease, and dying several years afterwards an examination disclosed a 
long, deep cicatrix, or scar, produced by the healing of the ulcerated cav- 
ity of his left lung, which left no room for doubt as to the true nature 
of his disease, and its perfect cure. 

Fig. 99. When not suffering with 

some form of acute or chron- 
ic inflammation, the lungs 
may always be cultivated and 
strengthened, by the use of 
the dumb bells or Indian clubs. 
Exercise for a few minutes, 
several times a day, in the pure 
open air and sunlight. 

The respirometer is of great 
value as a means of special ex- 
ercise, for the development of 
the chest and lungs. By means 
of a well-adjusted respirome- 
ter, any one with weak lungs 
and little capacity for respira- 
tion, may inhale long, deep in- 
spirations, and by breathing 
out through the small aper- 
improper stooping Position. ture of tnis instrument, grad- 

ually enlarge the chest and improve the powers of respiration. 

While exercising the lungs in this way, for their development, carefully 
avoid the stooping position, while sitting or standing, as it greatly dimin- 
ishes the size of the chest, and decreases the capacity to breathe. When 
we stoop or lean forward, the whole weight of our arms will drag our 
shoulders forward and downward upon the sides of the chest, pressing 
against the ribs, greatly diminishing the capacity of respiration, and weak- 
ening the lungs in a corresponding ratio. 

Very few persons appear to understand the important influence of their 
position, in sitting and standing, upon health, strength, and long life. Let 
those who are incredulous experiment upon themselves with a respirom- 
eter, and they will be astonished at the results. Stand or sit erect, and 
after throwing the shoulders back inhale a deep, long inspiration, and 
measure the number of square inches of air you can breathe, by the res- 
pirometer. Then lean well forward, and draw the shoulders down and 
forward, against the sides of the chest, and test the capacity of the lungs 
again, and it will be ascertained that we cannot breathe more than half as 
much in the stooping as we can in the erect position. 




HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 

Fig. 100. 



157 



All employments which re- 
quire one to stoop or lean for- 
ward while at work, are very 
unfavorable to health, strength, 
grace, beauty, and long life. 
Men and women who acquire 
this vicious habit of stooping, 
while young, never live to be- 
come old. The stooping posi- 
tion is indicative of effemina- 
cy, and is always productive of 
premature decay and old age. 

Alas! how many ignorant, 
foolish men and women go 
blundering and staggering 
along our streets with high- 
heeled boots, crooked spines 
and bent knees, stooping fig-1 
ures and round shoulders, with 
a gait and walk more like that 
of a kangaroo than a human 
being! Let us compare this 
picture with that of a perfect man, as drawn by the prince of poets: 

" See what a grace was seated on his brow ! 
Hyperion's curls ; and the front of Jove himself; 
An eye like Mars, to threaten and command ; 
A stature like the herald Mercury, 
New lighted on the heaven-kissing hill ; 
A combination and a form, indeed, 
"Where every god did seem to set his seal, 
To give the world assurance of a man." 

Every one, and more especially those who engage in mechanical employ- 
ments, or those of sedentary habits, should stand erect, several times a day, 
and after throwing the shoulders well back, inhale full and deep inspira- 
tions of air, and having done so, retain it in the lungs as long as possible. 
Or, having inhaled a full breath, then breathe out through a small opening, 
like that in the stem of a common clay-pipe. This kind of lung exercise, 
repeated several times a day, will rapidly expand the chest, and strengthen 
the lungs, and be the means of saving thousands of delicate persons from 
the consumptive's grave. 




Erect and Proper Position. 



11 



158 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 



Influence of Dress upon the Lungs. 

Fro- 1 01. All of the clothing worn by human 

beings, should be suspended upon 
the shoulders, and never upon the 
waist. It is simply impossible for 
any one to wear the clothing loose 
when fastened around the waist, for 
the reason that its own weight will 
cause it to drag down until it be- 
comes so tight that it can drag down 
no further. Wearing the clothing 
suspended around the waist with- 
out any support over the shoulders 
often causes pain in the side, short- 
ness of breath, and terrible wretch- 
edness among women. 

All the under-clothing without 
exception, should be suspended upon 
the shoulders by means of a well- 
adjusted under- waist, as shown in 
fig. (101.) Careful attention to 
this matter would relieve more pain 
and misery among women, than all 

Under- Vest and Skirt Supporter. « ., ■, , j x • 

of the quack nostrums and mechani- 
cal " supporters" ever yet invented. 

But, again, the dress should not only be worn loose, but short-waisted. 
"Within a few years, it has been discovered by many of our fair country 
women, that the longer the waist, the more beautiful the figure. 

Since this fancied discovery has been made, all of our short, dumpy- 
waisted women have had to stand any amount of stretching^ to make their 
waists look as long as possible ! 

Now, it requires great ingenuity to solve the difiicult problem, how to 
fit a fon<7-waisted dress on a short-waisted body. Of course, there is no 
natural harmony between them. They are at war with each other, and 
war means force. In the first place, a long-waisted dress to fit a short- 
waisted body, must be lined with some material that will not stretch, such 
as inelastic brown holland or linen, and then quilted full of whale-bone, 
or hickory wood ; and when this fashionable, long-waisted dress is applied 
to a short-waisted body, these pieces of whale-bone are designed to force 
down the stomach, the liver, and the large and small intestines, out of 
their natural position, so as to lengthen the waist. 




HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 



159 



What a parody upon human 
beauty is here seen! What a 
shocking deformity of the hu- 
man female form ! The terrible 
corset, the unsupported skirts, 
and the long-waisted dress have 
here done their fearful work, 
laying the foundation of dis- 
eases and infirmities which will 
render the existence of such a 
woman a source of misery to her- 
self, an expense to her friends, 
and a source of profit and em- 
ployment for doctors and nur- 
ses. When serpents wish to 
destroy their unhappy victims, 
they coil themselves stealthily 
around their waists, and by 
drawing it tighter and tighter, 
they squeeze them to death. 
The fatal corset, serpent-like, 
does its work much in the same 
way, gradually squeezing its fool- 
ish victims to death. 

"Beauty of the Human 
Form. 

There is no object in all ani- 
mated nature more beautiful 
than the human female, when 
well developed, and it is utterly 
impossible for the human mind 
to conceive anything more love- 
ly. When the great masters of 
ancient and modern art would 
represent th« beauty of the an- 
gels above, they could not con- 
ceive anything more beautiful, 
or originate anything more love- 
ly than the human female form, 
to which they only attached gos- 
samer wings, as a sort of defor- 
mity to remind us of their hu- 
man origin. 



Fig. 102. 




The long Waist and Chest of a Corseted Venus. 

Fig. 103. 




The short Waist and Chest of an Uncorseted Venus. 



160 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 



Fig. 104. -All art is the most perfect when it most suc- 

cessfully imitates nature, and it is utterly im- 
possible for the human intellect to add to the 
natural grace, and inimitable beauty of the 
human female form. 

All of those objects, whose surfaces combine 
the greatest number of curvilinear lines are 
the most beautiful. The surface of the earth 
is beautifully diversified with hill and dale, the 
stream meanders over the meadow, the ivy 
creeps upon the ground, the oak sends forth 
sturdy branches in graceful curves, while in 
the "human form divine" we behold the great- 
est number of these graceful curvilinear out- 
lines. That paragon of artistic excellence, 
grace and beauty, the Venus de Medicis, which 
has long excited the admiration of the world, 
replete with these graceful lines of beauty. 




The Live Corset doing its Fatal 
Work, Squeezing its Victim to- 
Death. 



" Here too the goddess lives in stone, 
And fills the air around with beauty ; 

Within the pale I stand, and in that form and face behold ; 
What mind can make, when nature's self would fail : 
And to the fond idolators of old, envy the innate soul 
Which such a form could mould." 

Visit if you please, the galleries of the Louvre in Paris, or the Vatican, 
in Home, and you will behold the matchless works of Raphael, Guido, Michael 
Angelo, and Rubens, and as you contemplate their wonderful delineations 
of the human form, that seem almost to speak from the marble statue or 
the living canvas, your eye will seek in vain for the deformed waist of the 
modern fashionable belle. These great masters of art painted for posterity, 
and knew that their works would survive them, and challenge the admira- 
tion of future ages, only in proportion as they are faithful transcribers of 
the eternal beauty of nature ! 

Who, then, are responsible for the false but fashionable ideas which 
prevail, in regard to dress and beauty of the human female form, so inim- 
ical to the health and welfare of the race? Who fill the giddy heads of 
young ladies with the most extravagant adulation and fashionable non- 
sense? If the modern female exercises in the pure, open air, or in the 
gymnasium; if she runs, leaps, and plays, in accordance with her almost 
irresistible instincts, and so secures its legitimate results — rosy cheeks and 
a Wealthy, robust, well-formed body, popular opinion calls her coarse and 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 



161 



Fig. 105. 



vulgar! Fashionable young gentlemen will 
say, " she is as coarse as a horse," or "as big 
as an elephant !" 

In the saloon, or upon the promenade, the 
pale and the sickly, with broken backs, and 
deformed waists, engross all the attention of 
the fashionable world j while those who have 
dared to obey the sacred and divine laws of 
their own physical organization, those who 
have cultivated and developed all the graces 
and beauty of the human female form, in per- 
fect health, are passed by on the other side. 

Now, is it strange, that a woman, failing to 
receive the commendation of those whose good 
opinion she most highly values, should be- 
come discouraged, and say to herself, " well, 
I can plainly see that the fashionable world 
thinks I am too coarse and healthy." When 
on goes the corset, and at it she goes with all 
her strength, pulling at the strings, hooks, 
and eyes — eats pickles, drinks vinegar, until 
she gets so weak she can faint at the sight of 
a spider, or go into fits at the sight of a mouse ! 
when all the fashionable young gentlemen will 
run after, flatter, admire, and protect her ! 

Small waists are made to order, and to "suit 
the market !" because men will not admire or purchase any other. If all 
our young men would say, "large waists or no wives !" then the way the 
strings, hooks and eyes would fly, would astonish a great many. And if 
ladies would only say, " no tobacco, or no husbands !" then farewell to the 
trade of the tobacconist. 

Ventilation. 

All human beings were created to live in the sunlight, and pure, open 
air. When man was first created he was placed in the "garden of Eden/' 
that he might enjoy its fruits, and breathe its pure air, and bathe and 
strengthen his body in the pure, balmy light of the sun. 

Want of suflicient ventilation is one of the greatest curses of our pres- 
ent civilization. This great want manifests itself in our churches, colleges, 
seminaries, and other institutions of learning, and in our railroad cars, 
steamboats, as well as in our private dwellings, causing the death of thou- 
sands of our most useful citizens every yearl 




The Greek Slave. 



162 HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 

It is estimated that the lungs of each human being will contain, on an 
average, about one gallon of air, about one-half of which is inhaled and 
exhaled every time we breathe, while the other half remains in the lungs, 
as fixed air, and does not pass out and in every time we breathe. We 
breathe about twenty times a minute, twelve hundred times an hour, and 
more than twenty-eight thousand times every twenty-four hours. Every 
time we breathe two quarts of atmospheric air passes in and out of our 
lungs, ten gallons every minute, six hundred gallons every hour, and more 
than fourteen thousand gallons every twenty-four hours. We exhale 
more than twenty-six cubic inches of impure air every minute, more 
than fourteen hundred and sixty inches every hour, and more than seven- 
teen thousand cubic inches of poisonous carbonic acid gas every twenty- 
four hours. 

It is estimated that in this way we exhale from the lungs more than 
one pound of solid carbon, and more than one pound and a half of water, 
in the form of carbonic acid gas and vapor, every twenty-four hours ! 

From these statements any one can form some opinion of the immense 
importance of the perfect ventilation of all public buildings, sleeping apart- 
ments, workshops, dwellings, &c. If a room large enough to seat one thou- 
sand persons was closed airtight, when well filled, they would all die in a few 
hours. Catch a house-fly from a window, and then .inclose it in a small 
phial and seal it with wax, so that its mouth shall be airtight, and the fly 
will die in a few minutes ! Enclose a beautiful little humming-bird in a 
small glass jar, and seal it airtight, and as soon as it has exhausted the 
vital air, in a few minutes it droops and dies ! 

A few years ago a steamboat left the port of Dublin for Liverpool, 
loaded with a large number of passengers. A storm coming on during 
the night, in the confusion the hatches were closed down, and more than 
seventy persons were suffocated and perished for want of fresh air ; their 
cries of distress not being heard on account of the prevalence of the 
Storm. 

The melancholy consequences of a want of ventilation were remarkably 
exemplified by the confinement of the English prisoners in the Black 
Hole, or dungeon at Calcutta, a large number of whom perished during 
the night, for want of fresh air, and those who survived until morning 
were soon seized with malignant and putrid diseases, which soon proved 
fatal. 

Carbonic acid gas, which is continually being exhaled from our lungs, 
is loaded with carbon, or animal charcoal, and is heavier than the sur- 
rounding atmosphere, and for this reason it falls to the bottom of the 
room, and sinks into valleys, and is found in caves, grottoes, old wells, eel- 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 163 

lars, and the holds of ships, &c, rendering it always dangerous to descend 
into mines, caves and wells, without first throwing down a bundle of 
lighted straw to ascertain if the air will sustain combustion and respiration. 

When first exhaled, carbonic acid gas is lighter than the surrounding 
atmosphere, and rises to the upper part of the room, but as soon as it 
cools it sinks to the lower part. Emigrants who select lower berths on 
board our ships and steamers, are much the most liable to ship fevers and 
other diseases. 

Impure air, or carbonic acid gas, can only be expelled from any situation 
it occupies, by force ! It is well known that a single open shaft will not 
ventilate a mine, and if we remove the hatches it will not perfectly venti- 
late the hold of a ship, and for the same reason, when we lower the win- 
dow at the top it will not perfectly ventilate any room. It is true this is 
better than no ventilation, but still it is, at best, very imperfect, and quite 
insufficient for good health. 

To ventilate a room perfectly there must be a draught from the bottom, 
to draw off and expel the impure poisonous gases; this may be successfully 
accomplished by the old-fashioned chimney and open fire place, and is al- 
ways improved by lighting a little fire on the hearth to improve the draught 
by rarifying the air in the chimney. 

The same object is well attained by the introduction of low down grates 
for burning coal Such grates and fire places should never be closed but 
remain always open summer and winter for the thorough ventilation of 
every room in the house, and more especially the sleeping apartments. 

Where it is impracticable to have such means of ventilation, air chimneys 
or flues, may be easily constructed in the walls of public buildings and 
dwellings. Such air-flues should be sufficiently large, and have openings 
near the floor of every room in the house, for the escape of the impure air ; 
they should extend several feet above the roof like fire flues or chimneys, to 
secure the best draught and the most thorough ventilation. 

No register should ever be permitted to close the opening into these 
flues. Fire-boards and registers are worse than a useless expense, and 
should always l)e regarded as nothing but unmitigated nuisances. For 
many years the author has taken great pleasure in thrusting his umbrella 
or walking-stick through the nice piece of paper pasted over the openings 
for the stove pipe in rooms assigned for him to sleep in at our "first class 
hotels." 

With such arrangements for ventilation there will be no need of opening 
windows or doors in our churches, school houses and dwellings, which sub- 
ject the inmates to dangerous draughts and currents of cold air, so des- 
tructive of human health and life. 



164 how to strengthen weak lungs. 

Respiration of Carbonic Acid Gas. 
Very few persons appear to comprehend the injurious effects produced 
by the respiration of foul air, or carbonic acid gas. Orfila, President of 
the French Academy of Medicine, in his great work on poisons, and their 
effects upon animal life, gives us the symptoms produced by the use of 
various animal, mineral and vegetable poisons, upon the human being, and 
among others, carbonic acid gas. 

If, for experiment, we light a furnace with charcoal, in a close and badly 
ventilated room, and close the doors, it will very soon fill the room with 
carbonic acid gas, and the first disagreeable feeling we shall experience, 
will be dryness of the nose and throat; second, ringing or buzzing in the 
ears, with fulness in the head, vertigo or dizziness, then a sense of fatigue 
or drowsiness, followed by a desire to sleep, then insensibility, and finally, 
profound coma, with deep snoring, or stertorous respiration and death ! 

It will be noticed, that there is little or no pain or suffering attending 
this fatal poisoning with foul air, or carbonic acid gas It gives no warn- 
ing pain to tell us of the danger we encounter, while breathing this fatal 
poison. Like the deadly malaria causing chills and fever, it manifests 
its poisonous influence so stealthily, that we are totally unconscious that 
it is doing its deadly work. It so charms and benumbs our senses and 
faculties, that it robs us of all disposition to escape from its fatal influ- 
ence. We are in no pain, only feel dreadful weary and drowsy, and de- 
sire to lay down, and go to sleep, — a sleep, alas ! from which there is no 
awaking ! How many persons in perfect health have retired to rest in our 
hotels, and ignorantly or accidently put out the gas, without turning it 
off, and have been found dead by their friends in the morning ! never 
knowing what hurt them. 

With our present inadequate means of ventilation, it is no wonder that 
great cities have always proved great curses to the human race. It has 
long since been ascertained by shepherds, that large numbers of domestic 
animals do not thrive well, when living together. When more than a 
certain limited number of sheep are enclosed in the same yard and sheds, 
they will soon breed a pestilence from the animal effluvia which they ex- 
hale, causing their destruction ; and yet, strange to say, few persons think 
of the unhappy condition of large numbers of little children shut up in 
small and illy ventilated school rooms. 

No wonder that typhus, typhoid, jail, ship, hospital and scarlet fevers often 
break out in our boarding schools and colleges, and prove so destructive of 
human health and life. The terrible mortality on board emigrant ships 
compelled Congress to interfere, and enact stringent laws to secure better 
ventilation. Notwithstanding every effort is made to secure cleanliness 



HOW TO STRENGTHEN WEAK LUNGS. 165 

and the best ventilation, yet it is quite notorious that our hospitals are less 
favorable for the recovery of sick persons than private dwellings. 

Our school teachers, as a class, are nearly all unhealthy. In fact, they 
endure more hardships for less pay than any other class. Most of them, 
in consequence of long confinement in impure air, suffer with various 
chronic diseases — vertigo, headache, neuralgia, indigestion, nervous debil- 
ity, &c, for which in vain they seek a remedy as long as they continue to 
deprive themselves of the healthful influence of sunlight, and fresh, pure 
air. 

Women, as a general rule, are far more nervous and irritable than 
men. In fact, it is a rare thing to find a woman in fashionable life in the 
enjoyment of perfect health. Vertigo, neuralgia, chronic headaches, indi- 
gestion and nervous debility, are the prevailing diseases among women, 
and it is not strange when we reflect upon the consequences of sedentary 
and confined life in badly ventilated dwellings, upon human health. In- 
stead of being subjects for ridicule, they are entitled to our commiseration 
and sympathy. 

Savages sleep in open wigwams or huts, and live in the pure, open air, 
and it is said that few ever take cold or suffer with consumption. Con- 
trast the physical condition of the wild Indian, who roams freely over the 
western prairies, with the thousands of unfortunate operatives shut up in 
our badly ventilated factories, and what a wide difference you will behold ! 

" Ye who would wear a body free from pain, 
Of cares a mind, fly the rank city ; 
The rural wilds invite, the mountains call ye. 
The wood, the vale, the stream, the ambrosial breeze 
That fans an undulating sky, a kindly sky, 
Whose fostering care regales man, beast, and all the vegetable reign." 



166 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 



Fig. 106. 



LECTURE XVII. 

THE BKAIN AND NEKVES. 

The brain and spinal cord is the common centre of the human body, 
towards which all of our impressions flow. It is the seat of all our sen- 
sations or feelings, and the source 
of all our power or strength. It 
is also the material instrument 
through which our minds and mo- 
ral natures manifest themselves in 
this life, and, as such, its study 
must always be invested with pe- 
culiar interest, and the greatest 
importance. 

When the bones of the human 
skull are opened for the purpose 
of examining the human brain, we 
shall not at first come in contact 
with this mysterious and wonder- 
ful organ, but with the membranes 
which surround it for protection. 
These membranes are three in 
number. The outside one, No. 3, 
being exceedingly tough and hard, 
is called the dura mater, or hard 
mother. The middle one, resem- 
bling a spider's web, has been call- 
ed the arachnoid membrane. The internal membrane which immediately 
covers the brain, from its extreme softness and delicacy, is called the pia 
mater, or soft mother. 

When the bones of the skull and these three membranes are removed, 
we shall be enabled to raise up and remove this mysterious and wonderful 
organ from the cavity of the skull, for examination. At birth the brain 
of the human being is equal to about one-sixth part of the weight of the 
whole body, and weighs about sixteen ounces. It gradually grows and in- 
creases in size up to the average age of thirty-two, when it attains its maxi- 
mum of size and weight. At this period of life the brain of the male 
weighs about fifty-two ounces, and in the female about forty-eight ounces, 
so it will be perceived the brain of the male weighs about four ounces 




Brain seen in the Cavity of the Skull. No.l, 
the Scalp ; No. 2, Bones of the Skull ; No. 3, 
Membranes covering the Brain; No. 4, the 
Brain. 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 



167 



more than that of the female, but when we come to dissect and examine the 
minute anatomy Yiq. 107. 

of the brain of 
the female, we 
shall find that it 
is much finer in 
its texture than 
that of the male, 
so that it makes 
up in superiority 
of quality that 
it wants in quan- 
tity. In this re- 
spect it is not un- 
like a ten cent 
piece of silver in 
comparison with 
ten copper cents, 




External View of the Brain removed from the Cavity of the Skull. 
P, the Cerebrum ; C, the Cerebellum ; D, the commencement of the 
Spinal Cord ; F, T, 0. the anterior, middle, and posterior Lobea of the 
Cerebrum. 



though there is great a difference in size and weight, yet every one knows 
they are of equal value. 

There seems to be a very intimate relation between the size and quality 
of the human brain, and the degree of intellectual and moral power mani- 
fested during life. The brain of Newton weighed sixty-four ounces ; that 
of Cuvier, the French naturalist, sixty ounces ; that of Baron Depuytren, 
the French surgeon, fifty-eight ounces ; Napoleon and Daniel Webster fifty- 
seven ounces. When well developed, the brain should weigh one-thirty- 
sixth part of the weight of the whole body. 

The brain of an infant weighing at birth sixteen ounces, is not only 
smaller than that of the adult, but it is so soft and delicate that it cannot 
be examined until it has been hardened by the action of alcohol. 

The outside surface of the human brain exhibits numerous prominent 
irregular-shaped ridges called the convolutions of the brain. The deep 
furrows or grooves between these convolutions are called the sulci of the 
brain. The object of these numerous convolutions and sulci seems to be 
to greatly increase the surface of the brain, to which the blood can be 
distributed for its nutrition. 

There seems to be a most intimate relation between the size of these 
convolutions and the degree of intellectual and moral power manifested 
during life. In the child, at birth, the surface of the brain is almost as 
smooth as a sheet of letter paper, enabling it to receive comparatively 
little blood, and to manifest but little intellectual and moral power. Un- 
der the influence of intellectual and moral training, the brain becomes 



168 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 



firmer in texture, and the convolutions and sulci upon its surface become 
deeper and more prominent. The brain of an idiot, like that of an infant, 
remains perfectly smooth all through life. 

Again, in epilepsy, memory, reason, reflection, and all of the faculties 
of the mind and the moral feelings grow weaker, and finally the unhappy 
victim sinks backwards to childish imbecility or total idocy, and the brain 
of an epileptic becomes as smooth as that of an infant or an idiot. 
Anatomy of the Brain. 
The human brain is divided into two portions — the cerebrum, or intel- 
lectual brain, and the cerebellum, or animal brain. The cerebrum is 
about eight times as large as the cerebellum, and fills the upper and ante- 
rior portion of the skull. It is divided into a right and left hemisphere 
of the same size and proportions, manifesting the same functions. The 
great importance of this double organization will be fully appreciated when 
we come to study the functions assigned to this wonderful organ. 

The organs of our senses are all double organs. Thus we have two 
eyes to see with, two ears to hear with, two sides of the nose to smell 
with, and two sides of the tongue to taste with. "When one eye is dis- 
eased or one ear destroyed, we can still see or hear, as long as one of these 
organs remains sound and healthy. When all of one side of the brain 
becomes diseased or injured, it may be followed by palsy and disease of 

one side of the body, and not impair 
the operations of the mind or moral 
nature, as long as the other side of 
the brain remains healthy. 

Fig. 108 correctly represents the 
nature of an injury received by a 
quarryman at work on the Vermont 
Central R. K., reported by Dr. Bige- 
low, of Boston. By accident a blast 
was prematurely discharged while 
the workman stood over it, and the 
iron tamping rod, 1£ inches in cir- 
cumference, and 3 1 feet long, was 
driven entirely through the side of 
his nead, as represented, carrying 
away a large portion of one hemis- 
phere of *his brain ; and yet, strange 
to say, the workman entirely recovered, and still lives, without any mate- 
rial injury of his intellectual faculties or moral perceptions. 

In view of the lofty functions which the Creator has thought proper to 
assign to this mysterious and wonderful organ, it was fit that he should 



Fig. 108. 




THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 



169 




constitute the brain a double organization, for its more perfect preserva- 
tion, from the result of disease or injury. 

When we remove the upper third of the cer- 
ebrum, as seen in Fig. 107, we shall observe 
the two kinds of matter which enter into its 
formation. The outside portion is seen to be 
composed of grey matter called the cortical a 
portion of the brain, because it resembles the 
rind or cortical portion of fruit. When this 
part of the brain is carefully examined by 
means of the microscope, it is found to be 
composed of great multitudes of little grey 
vesicles, and on that account is often termed 
the grey or vesicular portion of the brain, as 
seen in Fig. 109. 

The central part of the cerebrum is called 
the medullary matter, from its resemblance in 
color and structure to the spinal cord. It is 
found to be composed of numerous minute par- 
allel pipes or tubes, not more than one-five-thousandth part of an inch 
in diameter, and filled with a highly phosphorized, oily substance. 

When we make a still deeper 
dissection, and remove the middle 
third of the brain, as seen in fig. 
110, we shall bring into view the 
first two chambers of the brain, 
called the lateral ventricles. These 
two chambers are irregular in 
shape, and are divided into what 
are called the anterior, middle, and 
posterior cornua, or horns, and 
they contain in front two bodies 
called the corpora striata, behind 
which are seen two other bodies, 
called the optic thalmia, which 
give off two large nerves, which 
are distributed to the eyes, to man- 
ifest the sense of sight. The third 
or middle chamber of the brain, is 
located between the hemispheres, 
and can only be brought into view 
by their separation, as seen in fig. 



Brain and Nerve-Cells, form- 
ing the grey Outside part of the 
Brain, Nos. 1 and 2 exhibiting * 
the Origin of the Nerves. 



Fig. 110. 




Brain divided through the middle, exhibiting 
No. 1, the Edge of the Scalp; No. 2, the Skull; 
No. 3, the Cortical or grey matter ; No. 4, Medul- 
lary or white matter ; No. 5, Lateral Ventricles. 



170 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

111. The third ventricle is irregular in shape, and contains a pink colored 
body about the size of a small pea, called the pineal gland, which, when 
opened, is found to contain a small crystaline body, about as large as a 
pin's head or millet seed. When this little gem was first discovered by 
the ancient anatomists, they were filled with admiration and astonishment, 
and fancied that at last they had solved the mystery, and discovered the 
very seat of the human soul ! What other use could be assigned to this 
little gem, located, as if for security, in the very centre of the human brain ? 
Doubtless it was not made in vain. But alas ! no man has yet been able 
to penetrate the mystery of its origin, or understand its uses ! 

Between the two hemispheres of the brain, we observe a thin transpa- 
rent partition, called the septum lucidem, and between its folds the fifth, 
or the smallest of all the five chambers of the brain. 

The Cerebellum. 

The cerebellum is about one-eighth the size of the cerebrum, and is 
located beneath it, filling the lower and back part of the cavity of the 
skull. It is also composed of white and grey matter, arranged so as to 
form a beautiful arborescent appearance, called the arbor vitae, or tree of 
life. The nerves given off by the cerebellum wind around in front of the 
bulb of the spinal cord, forming what is called the pons Varolii, or the 
bridge of Yarolius, from its fancied resemblance to the arch of a bridge. 

The cerebellum is believed to be the co-ordinator, or regulator of mus- 
cular motions, and is found to be very large in those animals that execute 
the greatest number of complex motions, and in skilled laborers and edu- 
cated mechanics. Other functions have been assigned to this organ by the 
phrenologists. 

Composition op the Brain. 

The human brain is composed principally of an oily substance called 
brain fat, combined with phosphorus, forming a creamy substance, filling 
the cavities of the nerve cells, and tubules of the white matter. 

The amount of phosphorus contained in the brain of the human being 
depends upon the age and intellectual capacity, as shown by the following 
table from I/Heretier : 



Infant. 


Youth. 


Adult. 


Old Age. 


Idiot. 


8 


16.5 


18 


10 


8.5 



It is estimated that the adult human brain contains about one ounce of 
phosphorus ; and since this important substance enters so largely into its 
composition, we shall stop to inquire into its uses. 

Phosphorus was discovered many years ago, by an old Dutch alchemist, 
while intently poring over the dust and ashes of the human body, to see 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 171 

if he could not discover what all the old philosophers were intent upon, 
the philosopher's stone, or some power which would transmute lead into 
gold, and when he by accident discovered this luminous substance, which, 
while he gazed upon it, took fire spontaneously, burning with the brightest 
light, and producing the most intense heat, he named it phosphorus, or 
the " bearer of light." Now, it is not a little singular that the name 
bestowed by this old alchemist upon this interesting substance, so many 
years ago, should have proved so prophetic of what the physiologists of 
our day should discover to be its proper uses ! 

It is well known that phosphorus is exceedingly combustible, and that 
it can only be preserved by keeping it excluded from the atmosphere or co- 
vered with water. When brought into contact with the oxygen contained 
in the air we breathe, it at once takes fire spontaneously, and burns with 
the brightest light, and produces intense heat. When this combustible 
substance is stored away in the human brain, it can only be consumed by 
being brought in contact with the air we breathe. 

When we inhale a full inspiration, the air which we breathe passes in 
through the nostrils and down the air-tube into the air-cells, appended to 
the ends of the air-tubes, and while the blood circulates through the mi- 
nute blood-vessels that cover the thin walls of the air-cells, it absorbs the 
oxygen or vital principle of the atmosphere contained in the air-cells, and 
the blood at once becomes oxydized, and returning from the lungs to 
the heart, it is quickly forced up into the brain; when the oxygen which the 
blood has absorbed from the air we breathe in the lungs, is brought in 
contact with the phosphorus contained in the brain, it sets it on fire, in 
order that our " thoughts may breathe and our words may burn," as the 
poet has so appropriately described it. Now though we may not be able 
to describe what the mind is, still we can define and explain all of the won- 
derful phenomena that attend its manifestation. The consumption of 
phosphorus is as necessary to the manifestation of mental power or moral 
feeling, as fuel to the fire or oil to the lamp, and when we examine the 
furnace and find.it full of ashes, we know that a large amount of fuel has 
been consumed to produce the ashes. After the profound exercise of the 
intellectual faculties or moral sentiments and feelings, there will be great 
nervous prostration, and the urine and other secretions of the body will 
contain a greatly increased quantity of phosphoric acid, which can only 
be produced by the combustion of phosphorus in oxygen gas, as already 
described. All persons will notice the enormous deposits of phosphates 
in the urine, after hard study or great excitement. 

Brain Food. 

Food, which abounds in phosphorus, is indispensable for the growth 
and development of the brain, and manifestations of its power in after 



172 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

life, and it is for this reason that nations and individuals who are so hap- 
pily situated as to secure the greatest abundance of those kinds of food 
containing a large supply of phosphorus, will be enabled to maintain the 
highest degree of mental power and moral excellence. Wheat bread, 
peas, beans, lentils, milk, eggs, and fish, abound in phosphorus, and it is 
especially worthy of note, that those people who live in countries border- 
ing upon the ocean, and whose diet is largely composed of this kind of 
food, have always excelled in mental ability. Greece, Italy and Great 
Britain, and in our own country the inhabitants of New England are 
striking examples of this important fact. People who eat fat pork, 
sausage, ham, fine-flour bread, cakes, pastry, with strong tea and coffee, 
and other strong carbonaceous food, containing little or no phosphorus, 
or brain food, never did. and never will excel in intellectual activity or 
moral excellence. 

When the brain and nervous system is exhausted from over-excitement, 
or prostrated by disease, or from insufficient or inferior diet, very great 
advantage may be obtained from the use of food containing the phos- 
phates, and also the use of phosphates of lime, iron, potash, soda, &c, 
taken as a part of our food, immediately after eating. 

Nutrition of the Brain. 

The brain is the largest consumer of blood of any organ in the body. 
It is estimated that there is about twenty-eight pounds of blood in the 
whole body, and that more than one-sixth part of all the blood in the 
body is sent to the brain, and that consequently the brain receives six 
times as much blood as any other organ in the body, of equal size and 
weight. 

Now, it follows as a necessary consequence, that any habit or indul- 
gence which impairs the powers of digestion will impoverish the blood, 
and weaken the brain and nerves. In fact, more nervous debility is pro- 
duced by indigestion than by all other causes combined. The stomach is 
to the human brain what the roots are to the tree or plant. Cut off the 
roots, and all parts of the tree — the leaves, flowers, and fruit, will soon 
wither and perish. As well might a lady or gentleman strive to cultivate 
a vine or a plant in their garden, without any roots to it, as strive to cul- 
tivate their intellectual faculties and moral sentiments without observing 
the laws of healthy digestion and perfect nutrition. 

In fact, the world is full of mental and moral dyspeptics, victims of mono- 
mania or hypochondria, half crazy or idiotic, made so by indulgence in vicious 
habits of eating, and other wicked indulgences, that have weakened or des- 
troyed the powers of digestion and nutrition. Insanity and idiocy are not 
diseases of the mind, but of the body. The mind is immortal and immate- 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 173 

rial, and immortality and immateriality are totally incapable of any phys- 
ical disease, whatever. Weakness and disease of the stomach causes weak- 
ness of the mental faculties, insanity, idiocy, &c. 

Look at many of the miserable victims of indigestion, with their with- 
ered and vacant countenances, unstrung nerves, feeble perceptions, and 
half idiotic expression, resolution all gone, totally demoralized, and then 
you begin to comprehend some of the disastrous consequences of the 
wicked indulgence of those passions and appetites which destroy the or- 
gans of digestion and nutrition. 

Nerves op the Brain. 
The brain gives off Fig. 111. 

twelve pairs of nerves, 
which pass out through 
small openings at the 
base of the skull, and 
are called cranial nerves, 
while the spinal cord 
gives off thirty-one pairs 
of nerves, which pass 
out through small open- 
ings in the spinal canal, 
called the spinal nerves. 

The Olfactory 

Nerves. 

The first pair of cra- 
nial nerves, No. 6, are 
distributed to the cavi- 
ty of the nose, to man- 
ifest the sense of smell, 
and they are totally use- 
less for the manifesta- 
tion of any other sense. 
If they are cut with a 
knife or pierced with a pin there will be no pain produced. In fact, they 
are totally dead and insensible to all external influences, except the odor- 
iferous particles which float in the atmosphere. These little nerves ena- 
ble us to catch the perfumes of every flower, and the odors of every zone ! 
The Optic Nerves. 

The second pair of cranial nerves, No. 7, are distributed to the interior 
of the eyes, to manifest the sense of vision, and they are only useful to see 
with. If cut with a knife, or pierced with a pin, there will be no pain pro- 
12 




Brain divided through the middle, showing the Inside of tho 
Right Hemisphere. No. 1, Convolutions of the Brain , No. 3, 
Medulla Oblongata ; No. 4, Spinal Cord; No. 5, Fifth Ventricle; 
No. 6, Olfactory Nerve; No. 7, Optic Nerve; No. 8, Eye Ball; 
No. 9, Motor Nerve of the Eye ; No. 10, Patheticus ; No. 11, Tri- 
facial ; No. 12, Abducentes ; No. 13, Portio Dura ; No. 14, Portio 
Mollis ; No. 15, Glosso-pharyngeal Nerve No. 16, Pneumogastric 
Nerve; No. 17, Spinal Accessory Nerve; No. 18, Hypoglossal 
Nerves. 



174 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

duced. They are totally dead and unimpressible to all external influences, 
except the rays of light, and when the rays of light fall upon their deli- 
cate extremities all nature is quickly filled with beautiful objects. 

Motor Nerves op the Eye. 
The third pair of nerves, No. 9, are distributed to the muscles of the 
eye, and are called motores oculorum, because they cause the muscles of 
the eye to contract, and turn the eye in different directions. 

The Pathetictjs. 
The fourth pair of nerves, No. 10, are also nerves of motion, and are 
distributed to the superior oblique muscles of the eye, causing them to con- 
tract, turning our eyes upwards and inwards, and enabling us to look so 
devout , and make such pathetic appeals, &c. 

The Trifacial Nerves. 
The fifth pair, or trifacial nerves, No. 11, divide into three principal 
branches, which are distributed to the ear, and also to the upper and lower 
jaws, and are nerves of feeling. 

The Abducentes. 

The sixth pair of nerves, or abducentes, No. 12, are nerves of motion, 
and are sent to the muscles of the eye, causing their contraction, and 
turning the eyes outwards. 

The Portio Dura. 

The seventh pair of nerves, or the portio dura, No. 13, are sent out 
through the bones of the ears to the muscles of the face, to stimulate these 
muscles to action, causing their contraction, and producing a great variety 
of expressions of the " human face divine." When these nerves are par- 
alyzed from disease or accidental injury, the face will be drawn to one side, 
causing great deformity, known as Bell's paralysis. 

Portio Mollis. 

The eighth pair of nerves, or the portio mollis, No. 14, are distributed 
to the internal ear, and are the nerves of the sense of hearing. When 
these nerves are paralyzed, we become deaf. 

The Gtlosso-Pharyngeal Nerves. 
The ninth pair of nerves, called the glosso-pharyngeal nerves, are sent 
to the tongue and the mucous membrane lining the throat, and manifest 
the sense of taste. 

The Pnetjmogastric Nerves. 

The tenth pair of nerves are distributed to the lungs, heart, stomach, 
liver, and the large and small intestines. These nerves are sometimes 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 175 

called the nerves of vegetative or organic life, for the reason that they 
preside over the functions of the vital organs. 

The Spinal Accessory Nerves. 

The eleventh pair of nerves are distributed to the muscles of the neck, 
and stimulate these muscles to action, and aid in the production of certain 
movements. 

The Hypoglossal Nerves. 

The twelfth pair of nerves, or the hypoglossal nerves, are distributed 
to the muscles of the tongue, for the purpose of causing their contraction, 
enabling us to manifest the power of speech, &c. 

It will be observed that nearly all of those cranial nerves, except the 
tenth pair, or pneumogastric nerves, are distributed to the organs of our 
senses, and the parts about the head and neck, and that some of these or- 
gans receive several pairs. This mechanical arrangement is rendered 
necessary for the simple reason, that although the different nerves resem- 
ble each other in color and in general appearance, yet they differ from 
each other in their functions, and when any one organ is designed to 
manifest several different functions — as for instance, the eye, which mani- 
fests sight, motion, feeling, &c. — it must receive different nerves, adapted 
to manifest the sense of sight, motion, feeling, &c. 

Only a small part of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves are adapted to 
the manifestation of the sense of feeling. On the contrary, they are only 
adapted to the manifestation of different functions, such as smell, sight, 
motion, hearing, feeling, expression, taste, articulation, deglutition, diges- 
tion, respiration, and the circulation of the blood, &c. Each nerve can 
only manifest the functions peculiar to itself, and not the functions of 
other nerves. The union which is seen to exist between the brain, the 
stomach, and organs of digestion, by means of the tenth pair or pneumo- 
grastric nerves, seen in fig. 112, is of the most extraordinary and perfect 
character. These nerves are sent down along each side of the neck, and 
give off numerous branches to the windpipe, which they accompany down 
into the lungs, and then large branches to the heart, to stimulate this im- 
portant organ to action, and cause it to circulate the blood, and finally 
sending large branches to the stomach and the organs of digestion. These 
nerves are seen to form numerous connections with the great sympathetic 
nerve, whose little white ganglia are seen laying along the anterior surface 
of the spine, and forming connections with the spinal nerves seen beneath 
the lower edges of the ribs. 

It will be seen how closely all of the vital organs are united together 
by means of these nerves, and their numerous branches and connections, 



17G 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 



Fig. 112. and how intimately they 

must sympathise with each 
other and with the brain, 
in health and in disease. 
Impressions first received 
upon the mind or brain, 
such as the contemplation 
of some painful or disa- 
greeable scene, will often 
be reflected along these 
nerves to the stomach, caus- 
ing nausea and vomiting. 
Melancholy, despair, gloom 
and sorrow, will often cause 
the most painful indiges- 
tion. 

But, again, if we irritate 
those branches of the pneu- 
mogastric nerves which are 
distributed to the stomach, 
by the use of irritating and 
indigestible food, such as 
onions, radishes, mustard, 
red pepper, old cheese, fried 
ham and sausage, fried po- 
tatoes, mush and cakes, 
with strong tea, coffee, and 
whiskey, this irritation will 
be quickly distributed up- 
wards along these nerves, 
from the stomach to the 
heart, causing violent pal- 
pitation, and then to the 
lungs, causing shortness of 
breath and various chok- 
ing sensations, and finally 
to the brain, causing verti- 
go, or dizziness, headache, 
fits, convulsions, epilepsy, apoplexy, and sudden death ! 

Alas! how many illustrious men and women have perished most 
ignobly, in consequence of the unrestrained indulgence of their pas- 
sions and appetites! No language is adequate to describe the amount of 




A Section of the Body, exhibiting the Pneumogastric 
Nerves, sending Branches to the Lurgs, Heart, and Stom- 
ach, and forming connections with the great Sympathetic 
Nerve, Ganglia, Spinal Nerves, 4c. 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 177 

pain and suffering experienced by those who have not yet learned and 
practiced the art of eating to live, and not living to eat. 

When the nerves of the stomach have acquired additional sensibility, 
through excess, the owner of the stomach has incurred a penalty which 
will require months or years for exoneration. Under such circumstances 
the stomach not only reflects back on the organ of the mind a large share 
of its afflictions, but in consequence of its extensive chain of sympathies 
with various other organs — as, for instance, the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, 
in short, all of those organs supplied with branches of these nerves — it 
weaves a tissue of disorders which no human skill can unravel. It con- 
structs a labyrinth of infirmities through which no clue can guide us; it 
fills an Augean stable with evils which few rivers, except those of Lethe, 
can cleanse away ! 

For the sensations of body and mind springing from this source there 
is no vocabulary. The patient is, in many instances, unable to describe 
them, or the practitioner to understand them, and thus a whole class of 
them have received the appellations of "vapors," "the blues/' "hypo- 
chondriasis," "maladies imaginaries," &c. &c. Very few moral natures- 
are entirely exempt from the injurious influence of such causes. The 
peevishness and irritability of feeling manifested by the dyspeptic and the 
hypochondriac are familiar illustrations of the influence of our corporeal 
conditions upon our mental and moral feelings. The disposition of the 
child is often entirely changed by disease and suffering. Sour tempers 
are much more easily sweetened by sweetening the stomach, than by the 
use of the rod upon the skin ! 

The mere use of medicine for the cure of irritability of the nerves of 
the stomach, causing palpitation of the heart, shortness of breath, con- 
gestion of the brain, vertigo, epilepsy, insanity, palsy, &c, without the 
most careful regulation of the diet, is as absurd as it would be to take 
medicine to cure lameness, caused by the presence of a pin or needle in 
the foot ; and yet we witness this sort of farce enacted by the medical pro- 
fession and others, every day ! 

In many instances, the nerves of the stomach have become so exquisitely 
irritable, by long-continued abuse, that all medicine only increases the dis- 
ease. In such cases, only a few mouthfuls of cold water will cause an 
increase of pain and suffering. In this condition of the stomach, nothing 
will digest, and the only remedy is absolute rest, and abstinence from the 
use of all irritating and indigestible food ! 

Causes op Nervous Irritability. 
There is a most intimate relation between the organs of digestion, and 
the disposition, temper or temperament of the human being. In fact, 



178 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

sour stomachs, and sour, cross, crabbed and irritable dispositions, are al- 
ways intimately associated with each other. Our tempers or dispositions 
are of inferior or animal, and not of superior mental or moral origin ; and 
it is fortunate for us that it is so, for if our tempers were of superior 
mental or moral origin, then we could not regulate and control them by the 
exercise of reason and our moral feelings. 

The faculties of the human mind are co-ordinate and coequal. No one 
faculty of the mind governs, regulates and controls all of the others. If 
we elevate our passions, temperaments or dispositions to an equality with 
the faculties of the mind, then we cannot be responsible for their regula- 
tion and control by the exercise of the nobler faculties of the mind and 
moral sentiments. 

All animals are endowed with various temperaments or dispositions, like 
those of the human race. Even infants, long before the manifestation of 
reason and the moral sentiments, exhibit the greatest variety of temper or 
disposition, depending upon the condition of their physical organization. 
When the organs of digestion are free from irritation, the young infant 
is always good natured and happy, but when the stomach becomes diseased 
by improper feeding, or by injudicious nursing, causing cholic, or infantile 
diarrhoea, then it becomes irritable, peevish, and unhappy. Remove this 
disease of the stomach and organs of digestion, by proper treatment, and 
as soon as this disease of the body disappears, the temper and disposition 
will improve 

All children are born into this world with but two natural wants, and 
if these wants are anticipated, and gratified by their mothers, there will 
be no display of temper or irritability. The first natural want is to sleep 
and rest, and if the mother anticipates this want, and disposes her child 
in a favorable position, it will sleep sweetly, until this first want of its na- 
ture has been fully gratified. It will not require any jolting, singing, 
rocking, or swinging, to induce sleep, when this natural want manifests 
itself. 

As soon as the infant has slept sufficiently, it wakes with a smile of hap- 
piness, and at once manifests its second natural want, which is hunger, by 
gently and sweetly nestling in its mother's bosom, and if this natural want 
is anticipated, and gratified by its mother, it will not cry or display any 
passion or temper, but is always amiable and pleasant. 

Now, how few young mothers have ever studied the nature and wants 
of their own children ? Indeed, a majority of the mothers of this country 
have murdered their first child while experimenting upon it, and learning 
how to raise one ! Now, this is a serious charge, but very easy to 
sustain. What does any young mother know of the physical constitution, 
or the mental and moral nature of her child ? Nothing, but what she 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 179 

learns by experiment. Having prepared its food, she first tries to ascer- 
tain by experiment bow much she can make its stomach hold. Having 
laid the child across her lap, she pours down teaspoonful after teaspoonful 
of pap, or " cracker stuff/' until the stomach is full, and begins to run 
over, when she deliberately raises up the little victim, sets it down on her 
lap, and " trots" it a while to settle it, so that it will hold more, when down 
she pours spoonful after spoonful, until it is filled to repletion, and begins 
to run over a second time, down the corners of the mouth and over the chin, 
when, strange to say, without the least compassion, the young mother abso- 
lutely scrapes it up with the pap-spoon, and holds it over the child's mouth, 
while she jolts and shakes it, until it is compelled to choke or swallow it ! 

Having stuffed her child's stomach in this way, just as you would stuff 
a sausage, it soons begins to ache, as it has a perfect right to do under 
such circumstances, when the little fellow draws up his limbs, closes his 
eyes, and pinches his face, and begins to cry for the first time, when the 
young and inexperienced mother says, "why, bless me, I do believe the 
dear little fellow is crying, because he is so hungry • bless his little heart, 
he is almost starving ! so he is." When at him she goes, with the fatal' 
pap-spoon, crowding the child's stomach, until nature can endure this abuse 
no longer, and so summons up all her latent energies, causing the distended 
walls of the stomach to contract spasmodically, and throw off this excess of 
food in emesis or vomiting ! When this effort of nature for the relief of the 
child is observed by the young and inexperienced mother, she will often 
exclaim, " the poor little fellow's stomach is so sour, and out of order, no 
wonder it can't digest anything !" So at him she goes again, to put his 
stomach in order, by dosing him with magnesia, soda, paregoric, Godfrey's 
cordial, pumpkin seed, catnip tea, and Mrs. Winslow's soothing syrup, that 
" mother's friend," and infant's curse, until finally, the child sickens, and 
dies in agony ! If any of our farmers would feed and treat their young 
domestic animals in this way, few of them would ever survive it ! 

Again look at the moral government of infants and young children by 
young and inexperienced mothers. As already remarked all children are 
born into this world with but two natural wants, that of sleep and food, 
and if these wants are anticipated and properly gratified by an intelligent 
mother, her child will not cry and become irritable, peevish and unhappy, 
but will grow up to manhood or womanhood the very picture of health 
and happiness. 

When a few months old the child is often laid in the cradle to sleep 
while the mother engages in her domestic duties around the house ; as soon 
as her child has slept sufficiently it wakes, and being hungry it manifests 
its want of food in the gentlest and sweetest of all language, by nestling 
in the pillow upon which its head rests. Now if the mother notices this 



180 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

manifestation, and at once gratifies this want, the moment the child's hun- 
ger is appeased it will again sink away into the sweetest sleep ; but if as 
often happens, the mother is " too busy," and does not notice that her child 
is awake and nestling for food, it will soon begin to fret and chafe, and if 
this does not bring prompt gratification of its wants, then it will soon begin 
to cry at the top of its voice, when the foolish mother runs to its relief at 
the same time observing, " bless mc I can't neglect my child any longer," 
and takes it up in her arms and feeds it. Now this is the first great moral 
lesson which is learned in infancy : we are thus deliberately taught by our 
mothers, that if we want anything we must cry for it and it, will be sure 
to come ! 

It is said that first impressions made upon the human mind are the 
deepest and most lasting, and these first lessons being repeated a few times 
become fixed upon the child's young and tender mind, and will last until 
death ! Very few young mothers dream of the fatal consequences of such 
lessons as these, when taught their children in infancy ; how such lessons 
gradually educate their children to become masters, and often tyrants, as 
they grow older, causing even their own mothers to live in daily fear of 
them, not daring to deny their children, so educated, the gratification of 
the most pernicious desires and unnatural appetites, for fear they will cry, 
and "hold their breath so long they will get a fit," &c. <fcc. 

When children so educated to cry for all they want, become a few years 
old, and are at play with other children, they will cry and quarrel for all 
they see that belongs to their playmates, because mother taught them to 
u cry for all they want!" As soon as they are allowed to sit at the com- 
mon table, they at once charge upon the sugar bowl, in preference to other 
and more wholesome food, when mother, not daring to deny him all he wants 
for fear he will scream and go into a fit, shoves the sugar-bowl away from him, 
and at the same time, to pacify her child she deliberately says to him that 
the "sugar is all gone!" When the child has finished his repast, and has 
plenty of leisure, he concludes to investigate the contents of the sugar- 
bowl, and when he opens it, lo, behold ! he finds it full of sugar ! Now, 
this is our first lesson in lying and deception, not taught us by the devil, 
but by our own mothers! When such lessons are repeated a few times 
we soon get so we can do as well at that business as any one ! 

Having abused the stomach and caused great irritability of its nerves, 
by the use of improper food, when her child becomes passionate and irri- 
table, the young and inexperienced mother has two favorite methods of 
improving its disposition and correcting its temper. Sometimes she will 
try what has been called the coaxing method, so says to her peevish, irri- 
table and fretful child, "come, now, if you will only be good and stop cry- 
ing, until mother has finished ironing," or some other work, "she will 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 181 

give you a big sour apple, or piece of mince pie, or a big doughnut." 
With the hope of reward to stimulate him amidst his pains and trials, he 
strives to remain quiet, while the big tears often roll down his cheeks. 
When mother has finished her work she makes it a duty to be as good as 
her word, and so down tumbles a big sour apple, or a piece of mince pie, 
or cake, or candy, into her child's stomach, which only adds fuel to the 
fire, and so confirms and increases his misery and unhappiness ! 

But, again, mothers sometimes get tired of the coaxing method, and 
lose their patience. Perhaps their own stomachs are not as sweet as they 
ought to be, and when the child is unusually irritable, peevish and fretful, 
the mother, in a fit of desperation, turns upon him, and so drawing him 
over her lap, applies the hickory stick. Now, is not this a most singular 
and unhappy way of sweetening a child's stomach and disposition, by ap- 
plying a rod to his back? And yet this is the old, orthodox method of 
human government! 

Let me regulate the diet of children, and I will regulate their stomachs, 
and through them their dispositions. Would you have them mild, amia- 
ble, gentle and sweet-tempered, then feed them with that kind of food 
which will not irritate the nerves of the stomach, such as milk, bread, 
cooked fruits, &c. But if, on the contrary, you would have them irrita- 
ble, peevish, and fretful, feed them with flesh, sweetmeats, candy, cakes, 
pastry, and irritating, indigestible food. 

Look at the savages who inhabit our western wilds, and live princi- 
pally upon raw flesh. They are as untameable as the eagle, and in vain 
would you strive to reduce them to the yoke of slavery, and compel them 
to cultivate your plantations. The simple African, living principally on 
corn, hominy and vegetable food, was always amiable, and gentle, even to 
a fault, and willing to submit to the meanest and most abject slavery. 

Again, look at the simple natives of the Sandwich Islands, living ex- 
clusively upon vegetable food. When first discovered and visited by Cook 
and the early navigators, they swam around their ships in great multitudes, 
and by signs begged to be taken on board, and were willing to submit to 
the meanest and most abject drudgery, so they might please their new- 
found friends. How joyfully they received our missionaries, and how 
kindly they treated them, and how willing to listen to their instructions ! 

In the same ocean we may find other Islands, inhabited by another race, 
called cannibals, who continually make war upon each other, who kill and 
eat their trembling prisoners in the most barbarous manner, and whose 
moral dispositions correspond with their dietetic habits, for when you 
send your missionaries among them, instead of listening to their mild and 
gentle teachings, they kill and eat them. Raw missionary for breakfast, 
is said to be a standing dish among these cannibals ! 



182 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 



LECTURE XVIII. 
THE BEAIN AND NEEVES. 



Fig. 113. 




The Brain, composed of the Cerebrum above, and Cerebellum 
beneath, terminating in the Spinal Cord, giving off Thirty-one 
Pairs of Spinal Nerves. 



The brain terminates 
in the spinal cord, sit- 
uated in the spinal ca- 
nal. The spinal cord, 
like the brain, is divid- 
ed through the middle 
into a right and left 
side, and each side is 
again subdivided into 
anterior and posterior 
columns. The spinal 
cord is also composed of 
white and grey matter, 
the latter being arrang- 
ed on the inside of the 
spinal cord, and on the 
outside of the brain. 
The spinal cord gives off 
thirty-one pair of spi- 
nal nerves, each nerve 
being composed of fila- 
ments which are de- 
rived from its anterior 
and posterior columns. 
The nervous filaments 
which arise from the an- 
terior column of the spi- 
nal cord, pass out of the 
spinal canal through 
the same sheath, but do 
not unite with the fila- 
ments derived from the 
posterior column. 

All of the nervous 
filaments which are de- 
rived from the anterior 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 



183 




A Section of the Spinal Cord, exhibit- 
ing, No. 1, the Motor Filaments of the 
Spinal Nerves ; No. 2, the Posterior Fil- 
aments ; No. 3, Union of these Fila- 
ments to form a Spinal Nerve. 



columns of the spinal cord, are finally distributed to the muscles, for 
the purpose of transmitting nerve force -p IGk j^ 

or brain power to these organs, stimulat- 
ing them to action, and causing them to 
contract in obedience to the human will, 
for the purpose of producing and regulat- 
ing all of the different movements of the 
body, and hence they are called nerves 
of motion. The nerves which arise from 
the posterior column of the spinal cord, 
are distributed to the skin, for the purpose 
of endowing it with great impressibility, 
producing the sense of feeling, and hence, 
these nerves are called sensitive nerves. 
These little sensitive nerves receive im- 
pressions made upon the papilla of the skin, and transmit them to the 
brain, which is the great centre of all consciousness, enabling us to mani- 
fest the sense of feeling. 

When we divide the anterior column of the spinal cord at the neck, it 
will instantly destroy all power of moving any part of the body below the 
injury. And when we divide the posterior column, or half of the spinal 
cord, it will instantly destroy all power of feeling below the injury. For 
this reason, the anterior half of the spinal cord has been called the motor 
tract, and the posterior half of the spinal cord, the sensitive tract. 

It will thus be seen that the brain receives impressions through the 
agency of one set of nerves productive of the sense of feeling, so that 
when we are brought in contact with any external object capable of injur- 
ing us, the mind is at once informed of it through the agency of the sen- 
sitive nerves ; and by means of another set of motor nerves, which the 
brain sends out from the spinal cord to all the muscles of the body, it calls 
them into action, and regulates all our movements, secures our safety, and 
promotes our enjoyment. 

It will thus be seen that all pain is essentially benevolent in its agency, 
and that if it were not for the sense of feeling pain, we could not know 
good from evil, or when we were doing right or wrong. Pain warns us of 
danger, and informs us, for our good, when we have done something ivrong, 
and thus preserves us from the evil which constantly results from the vio- 
lation of those natural laws or conditions of health upon which pleasure 
and happiness depend! 

Our reasoning faculties and our moral sentiments, operating through 
the instrumentality of the brain, are thus informed of what is good and 
what is evil, by the amount of positive happiness or misery which they 



18-i THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

are capable of bestowing upon us, even in this world, and consequently all 
of our conduct which necessarily involves the sacrifice of health, and 
causes pain and misery is essentially sinful, and at war with the true prin- 
ciples of morality, which create rather than sacrifice happiness. Pain 
is, indeed, the punishment of sin. By sin pain, misery, and premature 
death came into this world, and by sin they continue to remain in this 
world ! When we are without sin, then we shall be without pain. 

When we desire to give ourselves up to excessive indulgence of our 
selfish appetites and passions, eating and drinking to excess, then a friend- 
ly pain warns us of the consequences of our transgression of the natural 
laws. Indeed, I do not know what would become of some of our modern 
epicures, were it not for this benevolent law of their organization. It 
seems probable, at least, that if many of them were gnided by the dic- 
tates of appetite alone, that they would kill themselves while striving to 
"get their money's worth." 

When we inhale the poisonous fumes of tobacco, or the impure air of 
a close and illy-ventilated room, the impression produced by it upon the 
lining membrane of the air-tube is transmitted to the brain, causing a 
sense of irritation, followed by a cough, rendering it necessary for us to 
remove the offensive cause. Were it not for this benevolent provision of 
nature, we should inhale poisonous gases without being cognizant of their 
evil effects! When we use our eyes excessively, the stimulus of light 
produces a smarting sensation, causing us to desist from their further 
abuse. All pain is benevolent and reformatory in its design, and when 
the sinful indulgence or cause which produces it is removed, it ceases to 
punish us. 

The natural action of all the different organs of the body is productive 
of an impression upon the nervous system, causing a sense of pleasure, 
which may be defined in the word good health, and which is the reward 
of implicit obedience of the natural laws of our own organization ; while 
on the contrary, disease and pain are entirely benevolent in their tendency, 
and are intended to warn us of our danger, and preserve us from destruc- 
tion. The same nerves which transmit impressions to the human brain, 
productive of all the enjoyments of sense, can also vibrate with thrills of 
anguish whenever the laws of health are violated. 

Having thus rapidly examined the structure, nature, and uses of the 
nervous system, we shall be better able to comprehend the great import- 
ance of its healthy action upon our moral, physical, and intellectual na- 
tures. When the brain and the nerves become diseased and weakened, 
the various subordinate organs are deprived of their customary stimulus, 
and soon become weak and exhausted or diseased. Digestion soon becomes 
impaired; the circulation becomes feeble and irregular, respiration labori- 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 185 

ous and difficult, the muscular energies weakened and exhausted, and the 
whole constitution shattered and unstrung. 

How to Strengthen the Brain and Nerves. 

The brain and the nerves, like all the other organs of the body, are 
capable of being educated and strengthened, by the proper exercise of all 
their functions. The brain is a compound organ, made up of several dif- 
ferent parts, concerned in the manifestation of as many different functions, 
which must all be exercised to develop and strengthen all parts of the 
brain and nerves. 

The sensoria ganglia, or internal organs of the senses, are situated at 
the base of the human brain, and are common to the brain of man and 
many of the lower animals. These organs are concerned in the manifes- 
tation of sight, hearing, taste, and smell, and when we exercise these 
organs by the manifestation of their proper functions, it will cause an 
increased flow of blood into the sensoria ganglia, at the base of the brain, 
rapidly increasing the size and power of these internal organs of the 
senses. 

Yery few persons have any adequate idea of the powerful influence of 
the exercise of the sense of sight, hearing, taste, and smell, in developing 
and strengthening the brain and nerves. When the brain becomes in- 
flamed and diseased, we are compelled to exclude light and noise from the 
chamber of the invalid, in order that the diseased brain may remain at 
rest, so that congestion or inflammation may subside. 

The education of children should commence with the exercise of the 
organs of the senses upon object lessons, for the development of the sen- 
soria ganglia, at the base of the brain, before the cultivation of memory 
and the higher faculties of the mind. Many human beings only par- 
tially cultivate and educate these organs at the base of the brain, which 
are common to man and the lower animals, by the proper exercise of sight, 
hearing, taste and smell, upon their appropriate external objects, and so 
far as the manifestations and the powers of these senses are concerned, are 
vastly inferior to many of the lower animals. Imperfect sight, hearing, 
taste and smell, is far more common among mankind than the lower ani- 
mals, in consequence of this neglect. 

Other portions of the brain are concerned in the manifestation of 
thought, reason, reflection, and the higher faculties of the mind, and when 
these faculties are exercised larger quantities of blood will be sent to the 
brain, to develop and strengthen this wonderful organ. Every thought, 
every idea, every feeling, and every emotion will quicken the circulation 
of the blood to the brain, improving its nutrition, and so strengthen and 
develop the powers of the mind. The dewdrop which glitters upon the 



186 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

leaf of the young and tender plant will warp the giant oak forever! It 
is education, intellectual and moral culture, which developes the brain and 
strengthens the mind, and creates more difference between one man and 
another, than the natural difference between man and the brute creation. 
A diamond in a dark subterranean cavern is unknown to the eye from a 
common stone. So a Newton, a Shakespeare, or a Washington, born and 
living among savages, deprived of the ennobling influences of intellectual 
and moral culture, would, like savages, have died. 

The brain and the intellect of man are like an ever-growing papyrus, 
upon whose leaves all knowledge may be written. Insect and worm as 
man is, at the moment of his birth, the blessings which crowd an im- 
mensity, and which lie along the vista of an eternity, are within his reach. 
In one respect, at least, man holds pre-eminence over all other objects in 
the universe into which he has been created. As he builds himself up, 
thought by thought, idea by idea, and virtue by virtue, each new advance- 
ment in the infinite progression of knowledge, and each new achievement 
in the endless path of duty, is a new joy! 

All mankind were created and born into this world in great poverty and 
in great weakness, in order that they might feel the exquisite pleasure of 
gathering in all knowledge, and growing stronger and stronger in every 
virtue. Had mankind been created with any amount of knowledge or 
power, or wisdom, or set forward by easy stages upon the path of moral 
duty, it would have been so much subtracted from the pleasures of acqui- 
sition and improvement! So much as a man had known at the moment 
of his birth, so much of the pleasure of acquisition would he have lost in 
after life. 

Civilized nations are not, as many uneducated and unthinking people 
fancy, "growing weaker as they grow wiser," but stronger and longer- 
lived. It would have been a cruel dispensation of Providence, had the 
Creator rendered the acquisition of knowledge productive of premature 
decay and effeminacy. McCauley, in his history of England, shows that 
the English people now live, on an average, several years longer than they 
did in the palmiest days of chivalry, and the same is true of the people of 
this country Many ignorant people fancy that the early settlers of this 
country were a hardy race, and that sickness was totally unknown ; that 
premature death rarely occurred among them ; but this is a very erroneous 
idea. Visit, if you please, the oldest settlements of this country; exam- 
ine the records of the honored dead who lie buried in their cemeteries, 
and having ascertained the age attained by the first settlers, then look be- 
yond the walls of the cemetery, and you may behold, still living within 
the reach of your vision, many venerable ladies and gentlemen much older 
than any of those who first settled in this country ! 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 187 

Thanks, then, to the enobling influence of intellectual and moral cul- 
ture, the American people are not growing weaker as they grow wiser, but 
stronger and longer lived than their ancestors. It is not necessary for 
man to turn back to barbarism and the savage estate, as a means of acquir- 
ing health, strength, grace, beauty, and long life. 

Again, the brain and the spinal cord are the source of all strength and 
power in the human body, and the daily exercise of all our muscular powers, 
as well as our mental faculties, is indispensable for the proper development 
of the brain and nerves. 

In this respect, the brain is not unlike a kind of galvanic battery, or 
steam engine. The heart acts as a sort of involuntary fireman, constantly 
pumping blood up into the brain and spinal cord, to develop what is called 
nervous force, or animal electricity, which is to be expended in the propul- 
sion of the machinery of the human body, in the exercise of the organs 
of our senses, and in the manifestation of all our reasoning faculties and 
moral sentiments. 

Having generated a large amount of steam, the skillful engineer sets 
the engine in motion to consume it, or opens the safety valve, and allows 
it to escape, otherwise it will burst the boiler, and so spread death and 
consternation in every direction. While at rest, and especially during 
sleep, the brain accumulates a large amount of nervous force or power, and 
if we do not constantly exercise the muscles, the organs of our senses, as 
well as our intellectual faculties and moral sentiments, upon their various 
legitimate objects, this accumulated nervous power will weaken and destroy 
the very organization concerned in its production, causing that nervous 
irritability which is the bane and the misery of countless millions of the 
human race 

"Who indeed can estimate the amount of human misery, wretchedness, 
and irritability, produced by idleness, or want of suitable employment, for 
a large proportion of the human race ? What ennui, what restlessness, 
what unhappiness, have their origin in indolence ? All men and women 
must have some employment, or suffer the penalties imposed upon idleness ! 
There is no health, no enjoyment, in a life of sickly and inglorious ease. 
Idleness and misery are inseparable companions ! 

To a man accustomed to an active life, the experience of a single rainy 
day will convince him of the truth of this statement. Enforced idleness, 
as seen in the wretched condition of many unhappy prisoners, is the most 
terrible of all punishments, and is often productive of idiocy and insanity ! 

Compel any one accustomed to an active and stirring life to ride in a stage 
coach for a few hours, and he will be forced to appreciate the necessity of 
constant daily exercise of all our feelings, faculties and powers, for the 
preservation of health, and the promotion of human happiness. Wedged 



188 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

in, like sandwich, between two ladies of sumptuous proportions, with his 
legs and arms folded up like a jack-knife when you are done using it, with 
little or no power of movement, deprived of all opportunity of exercising 
his limbs, or employing his faculties, compelled to sit still for several hours, 
how very irksome and tedious the journey becomes ! What trifles will 
now annoy him, how he frets, fumes and fidgets, and finds fault with every 
thing. What a miserable rickety old coach ! what an awful hard seat ! 
what poor, miserable rackabone horses ! what a drunken, reckless driver ! 
Rain, rain ! it does seem as though it never would stop raining • and such 
awful roads ! Ah ! my, how miserable I do feel ! Now, if the driver of 
the coach would only stop at the foot of the mountain, and permit this 
unhappy victim of ennui or the fidgets to walk a mile or two, and cure 
himself, what a mercy it would be to him ! 

When he rises, and steps out of his cage of confinement, and straight- 
ens his crooked back and limbs, his pains and aches are almost intolerable, 
but every step he takes up the long hill, will leave a pain and an ache, or 
a fidget behind him. How this long walk will rest him, and remove every 
ache and pain in his spine and limbs ! It removes, like magic, all his 
peevishness and nervous irritability. How it cures the " blues," and 
smooths all the scowls and wrinkles from his face, and wreathes it with 
smiles, sunshine and happiness ! 

By the way, this will enable any young gentleman to understand when 
is the appropriate or proper time to " pop the question !" Many a young 
gentleman has had his hopes blasted and withered for life, because he did 
not understand the influence of employment upon the mind and heart of 
all mankind. When he approaches the young lady, for whom he has ex- 
perienced the " tender passion," if he finds her seated in the parlor, read- 
ing the last sickly novel which has been issued from the press, he had 
better keep at a distance from her now, for she is a gal vanic battery, 
fully charged, and if he ventures too near, he may receive a shock which 
will stun him for life ! But if he discovers her out in the sunlight, stir- 
ring amidst the roses, where, of old, love shook the dew-drops from his 
glancing hair, and tells her the. secret of his heart, then she could not make 
him miserable while so happy herself ! 

" A mind and a body unemployed are, indeed, the devil's workshop !" 
When unemployed, all men become restless, irritable, and unhappy, and 
ever ready to fritter away their nervous energies upon trifling, frivolous or 
ignoble objects, such as the fashions, gossip, smoking, drinking, gambling, 
fighting, &c. The abodes of idleness are also the dens of intemperance, 
of licentiousness, and of crime; for if our nervous energies are not ex- 
pended upon their own legitimate objects, they will be expended upon 
illegitimate and ignoble objects. 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 189 

The great mass of society look with envy upon the lady whose wealth 
enables her to ride in her carriage, with a servant mounted before and one 
behind, to sustain her indolent dignity, and express her helpless imbecili- 
ty, but they know not the pain and anguish which is generated by her 
life of idleness. Could they experience her sleepless nights, her irritable 
feelings, her shattered and unstrung nerves, which embitter every moment 
of her existence, they would not exchange their condition of toil, followed 
by sweet and refreshing slumbers, their robust health and all of its ex- 
quisite enjoyments, for all of her wealth and all the misery which it has 
engendered. 

More than half of mankind are dying for want of something better to 
do ; for the want of a laudable pursuit or occupation ; for the want of an 
object which shall stimulate their dormant energies, and exercise their in- 
tellectual and moral sentiments. All those who have experienced the 
nervous restlessness, depression of spirits, and painful ennui produced by 
the confinement incident to a rainy day, will know very well how to appre- 
ciate the condition and feelings of those who have no occupation, either 
in fair or in foul weather, upon which they can expend their accumulated 
nervous energies ; those who are condemned by the tramels of wealth or 
fashion to a life of indolence and inglorious ease. 

How many instances, especially among females, does society present, of 
noble energies and powers of mind and body, which have been wasted 
upon trivial occupations, or frittered away upon the most unworthy ob- 
jects; in adorning their persons, in discussing the fashions, in village gos- 
sip, and in traducing the characters of their neighbors ! 

When it is remembered that thousands of females are denied, by fash- 
ionable public opinion, an opportunity to exercise their faculties, and to 
expend all of their energies in the various professions and useful avoca- 
tions of life, will it be thought strange that we have a large class of "busy 
bodies," who, since they have no other employment, make it their sole 
business to distribute "the news?" They must do something, or suffer 
the penalty of idleness, and since they must not do anything useful, be- 
cause that is work, (and you know all kinds of work are ungenteel and 
unfashionable) so they engage in that employment which is the last re- 
source of indolent and fashionable women — that of a public gossiper, and 
retailer of the village scandal. "There is Mr. Smith, who has just moved 
into our town, with only two persons in the family, and would you believe 
it? they have got sixteen pairs of stockings on the line this week! Now, 
they are strangers, and I guess they aint any better than they should be l" 

Then, "there is our minister's wife! such extravagance! Would you 
believe it? she's got a new silk dress! Such extravagance for a minister's 
wife ! I guess she is not any better than she ought to be I" Then, " there is 
13 



190 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

our deacon's daughter. I should think she would be ashamed of herself! 
Who ever heard of such conduct in a deacon's daughter? Would you believe 
it? she had a beau last Saturday night, and I saw the lights a burning until 
after twelve o'clock, and I tell you she aint any better than she ought to be !" 

Now, no one can find fault with the trifling gossip of that unfortunate class 
of society who have no other employment. They are much like a steam 
engine with the safety valve chained down ; they must do something or burst ! 

For the preservation of the health of women more physical employment 
is required than for men, for the reason that their intellectual faculties, as 
a general rule, have not been unfolded and developed by a thorough course 
of education, and consequently they cannot expend their nervous energies 
in the daily exercise of their intellectual faculties and moral sentiments, 
in any professional avocation or employment. 

Public opinion has long declared that the education of women shall be 
confined to the accomplishments of life, with, perhaps, some slight know- 
ledge of the rudiments of literature and the sciences, while they are utterly 
denied all opportunity of expending their physical, mental and moral en- 
ergies in the various occupations and callings which have been created by 
the necessities of society 

In our day a woman may possess strong moral feelings, and yet she may 
not cultivate and exercise them to the highest extent, by preaching and 
prophesying, as did the Hebrew women of olden times. A woman may 
no longer practice medicine, or even attend upon the diseases peculiar to 
her own sex, although the bible, as well as history, informs us that she 
did so for more than four thousand years, with wonderful success ; and yet 
she may nurse a man in all of the diseases which human nature is heir to. 

That is, she may do the menial service, for which, as a general rule, she 
is paid nothing; but when she would rise to the dignity of taking a fee, a 
selfish profession will exclaim she is out of her appropriate sphere! 

A woman may be a queen of the British empire, and as such sway the 
sceptre over dominions upon which the sun has never set, and yet, in a 
democratic republic she may not even quietly deposit her vote in the ballot 
box! She may appear upon the stage in any theatre in a short frock, and 
after kicking up her heels in the most approved artistic way, kings will 
confer upon her orders of nobility. A woman may perform the grand 
tour of the Union, and appear upon the stage in every theatre in a low- 
necked dress, and sing at the very top of her voice, and excite the most 
tumultuous applause, and yet she may not preach in any pulpit ! She 
may found theological seminaries, and be taxed for the support of medical 
universities, but she must not claim an equal right to their benefits, in a 
good education ! She may make coats and shirts at sixpence apiece, but 
some man must sell them, and pocket the profits ! 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 191 

Now, all sensible men and women must admit that such ideas and dis- 
tinctions of what any woman can be or do, are not founded upon any fixed 
principles, or in accordance with reason or common sense. The Creator 
has bestowed upon all human beings the same talents, though they may 
not be equal in all cases, and He has not only given them the right, but 
has made it the imperative duty, of every one to cultivate these talents, 
and to use them in his service, and no mere man should presume to deny 
any one an opportunity to do so. 

The deprivation of an opportunity of engaging in all of the active du- 
ties of life is the chief cause of many of those nervous diseases so com- 
mon to females, and which, in many instances, render life almost a burden 
to them. The headaches, nervous irritability and weakness, vertigo, loss of 
memory and mental confusion, &c, are but the legitimate results of seden- 
tary habits, and physical, mental and moral inactivity, and nothing can 
prove a complete and perfect antidote for them but exercise and employ- 
ment, which will equalize the circulation of the blood, and invigorate and 
strengthen the brain and nervous system ! 

Education and Employment. 

Again, our employments not only develop and strengthen the brain 
and the nerves, but they also educate and develop our minds and moral 
natures. Everything that we look upon or come in contact with, leaves 
its impressions upon our organization, and gradually moulds us to look 
most like the objects that we are the most familiar with. Roses will red- 
den the cheeks of the lady who cultivates and gathers them. While we 
linger in admiration of the beautiful flowers that grow in the front yard 
of some gentleman's cottage by the road-side, we shall rarely fail to observe 
. behind the green lattice, a rose more beautiful than any of those cultiva- 
ted by her own fair hands ! 

Look at the little children, as they trudge along to the village school, 
and see how the daisies and butter cups which they gather by the road- 
side turn all of their little chins yellow! Examine some minute object, 
such as a fly's foot, and while you look at it your features contract as if 
you were striving to narrow yourself down until you become as small as 
the minute object you examine! Stand for a few moments upon the 
svmmit of the Alleghenies, and turn your eyes towards the boundless 
West, and while you gaze in admiration upon the magnificent scene, you 
involuntarily draw in deep and full inspirations of air, as if with the irre- 
sistible desire of expanding your own organization until it becomes big 
enough to fill the magnificent scene before you. 

But it is useless to multiply instances to prove the truth of this gener- 
eralization. Whatever we associate with most familiarly, will most con- 



192 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

gtantly reflect itself upon our organization, and make us look most like it. 
Indeed, it is an old and true saying, that husband and wife, after many 
years of happy association, as they grow old " come to resemble each 
other/' And again: it is often said of a jockey, that "he is more than 
half horse." 

Every man will come to resemble or be like his employment. When a 
man selects a profession or business, that which contributes to human 
wretchedness and misery; that which oppresses the weak and the unfor- 
tunate ; that which fills the widow's eyes with unbidden tears, and takes 
the bread from the hands of helpless orphans ; a business which the laws 
of our country stamps with criminality, no matter what wealth may be 
acquired, it will stamp the man all over with the insignia of his office, 
and in his manners and appearance make him look as vulgar and as mean 
as the employment he is engaged in. 

Let every young man and woman, shun all such associations, all such 
employments or pursuits, no matter how profitable, and for their own wel- 
fare, engage in that employment which educates and elevates the poor, 
the weak and ignorant ; which dries up the tears of the widow and the 
orphan, and which contributes to the common welfare and happiness of 
mankind, and it will mould and develop them to become as brave, and 
true, and honorable as their noble calling. 

It is often said of Daniel Webster, that in his leisure moments he was 
fond of retiring to his country estate at Marshfield, upon the shores of 
the Atlantic, and while seated beneath the shade of his grand old elms 
upon the lawn, he would gaze for hours upon the broad ocean covered with 
the whitening sails of our flourishing commerce; and while he looked with 
mute admiration at the magnificent scene, so suggestive of the prosperity 
and greatness of his country, it expanded his whole nature, and inspired 
those grand ideas and lofty thoughts which, in his matchless eloquence, 
enabled him to portray the future greatness of America, when governed 
by enlightened free institutions, and just laws. 

How utterly impossible, for even a Webster, to originate such ideas, or 
conceive such thoughts, while surrounded by degrading associations, or 
engaged in ignoble employments ! Do we not read of the prodigal son, 
how he ran away from his father, and by low associations degraded him- 
self, until he became so mean that he finally let himself to a "pig tender," 
and at this business he sunk so low that he would "fain eat husks l" The 
same is true of many men in our day, who become so degraded and de- 
moralized by their associations and their pursuits, that they would, like 
the prodigal son, eat husks, or even dirt. 

Again, impure blood poisons the brain, paralyzes the nerves, and pro- 
duces diseases , of these organs. The brain and nerves not only require 



THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 193 

large quantities of rich, nutritious blood, but it must be pure, and free 
from all hereditary taint. When you look at that class of human beings, 
whose employments require them to spend the greater part of their time 
in close and ill ventilated manufacturing establishments, you will not 
fail to observe the pernicious influence of the accumulated carbonic acid 
gas, not only upon the organs of respiration, but also upon the brain and 
nerves, in the frequent headaches, nervous debility, mental confusion, 
weakness and exhaustion, with which they are afflicted. The poor ex- 
hausted woman, who pursues her unhealthy occupation from early morn- 
ing until the approach of evening, and too often from evening until morn- 
ing, in close and impure air, necessarily becomes nervous, subject to fits 
of hysteria, or nervous debility, and melancholy! not because she is a wo- 
man, but because her sedentary and inactive employment, in impure, poi- 
sonous air, ruins her health, impairs her strength, and affords us a strong 
reason why we should sympathise, rather than ridicule these exhibitions 
of her feebleness and nervous exhaustion ! 

Hysteria is no disease of the imagination, as many vulgar, uneducated 
people have long supposed, but is really an indication of a complicated dis- 
arrangement of the nutritive, vital and nervous system, most difficult to 
understand, and still more difficult to remove -, and its miserable victim is 
often more to be pitied than she who labors under the influence of fever, 
or any of the various forms of inflammation ! 

Yisit our numerous public and charitable institutions, and you will soon 
notice the dreadful inroads which confinement in impure air produces upon 
the nervous system ! How many thousands of poor unfortunate emigrants, 
who have sought the peaceful and happy shores of America, have found 
untimely graves beneath the blue waves of the ocean, dying of nervous, 
or ship fever, contracted by respiring impure air in the narrow space al- 
loted them by the mercenary owners of emigrant ships. 

In our numerous jails and public prisons, nervous or jail fevers, of a 
similar character, frequently occur, and during their progress, carry off 
large numbers of their unfortunate inmates. 

These, and similar occurrences, show the great importance of the res- 
piration of pure air, to maintain the health and strength of the brain and 
nerves. In many of our churches, the air becomes so confined and im- 
pure during the services, and the brain and nervous system of the congre- 
gation so weak and depressed under its influences, that more than half of 
the congregation sleep instead of listening to the sermon ! 

During the past year, several of our colleges and seminaries were closed 
on account of the fatal prevalence of nervous, typhoid and typhus fevers, 
caused by want of proper ventilation. 



194 THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

A young lady or gentleman may accustom themselves to retire for the 
night, and sleep in a small room with the door and windows closed almost 
air-tight. When they rise in the morning, they will feel weak, languid, 
and nervous, with sick headache, and in a short time become dyspeptic 
and irritable ; and if they still persist in this course, they will soon be 
seized with nervous fever, which is contagious, and may destroy several 
members of the same family. Such incidents, in relation to this fatal 
malady, are of daily occurrence in many of our hospitals, charitable estab- 
lishments, seminaries and colleges, showing great want of attention to the 
laws of health, on the part of those who have charge of of these insti- 
tutions ! 



DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 195 



LECTURE XIX. 
DISEASES OF THE BKAIN AND NERVES. 

Many diseases of the brain and nerves are produced by the habitual 
use of nervous stimulants, such as tea, coffee and tobacco. It is a general 
physiological law, that all artificial stimulation is followed by reaction and 
debility. Coffee causes a determination of blood to the head, producing 
vertigo, dizziness, headache, &c, while tea causes great irritability of the 
nerves of the heart, violent palpitation, &c. When used habitually and 
in considerable quantities, they derange digestion, and cause a great amount 
of nervous weakness and general debility. 

Of all habits, that of using tobacco is perhaps the most bewitching and 
fascinating to its votaries. When we come to consider its disgusting odor, 
its nauseous and disagreeable taste, and its relaxing and debilitating effects, 
it is wonderful how any human being could become addicted to its use. 
And we cannot account for the fact, that while, in other respects, great 
attention has been devoted to the improvement of the public health, and 
with the most gratifying results, in regard to cleanliness, ventilation, diet, 
and the use of intoxicating beverages, yet the use of tobacco, owing, per- 
haps, to its more attractive and fascinating effects, is on the increase, and 
threatens, more than anything else, to undermine the health and destroy 
the constitution of the American people. 

When distilled at a temperature above that of boiling water, it yields 
an empyreumatic oil, which proves to be one of the most subtle and 
virulent poisons, one or two drops of which will kill a cat or dog in Jive 
minutes! Its active principle, called nicotina, is far more fatal to animal 
life than arsenic, opium, or corrosive sublimate, and is only equalled in its 
deadly effects by prussic acid. When used habitually, in small quanti- 
ties, like opiuim, it acts as a powerful sedative, and calms, and soothes the 
irritability of the brain and nervous system ; and when used in larger 
quantities it acts as a nauseating and debilitating emetic, and in still larger 
quantities as a virulent poison ! A piece of the dried leaf of tobacco, as 
large as a dime, when given to a child a few years old, will soon produce 
vomiting, followed by the most alarming weakness, and prostration of the 
nervous and vital forces. A few grains of the dark oily matter easily 
obtained from any old German pipe, when placed on the end of a dog's 
tongue, is almost immediately destructive of life. 

Now, if these statements are facts, how is it so many can use tobacco 
habitually, without destroying life almost instantly f In answer to this 



196 DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

inquiry it may be said, only a small quantity at a time is taken into the 
the system. Nature has given the human being great powers of endur- 
ance, and under the law of toleration we are enabled to gradually increase 
the dose of opium from one grain to a single drachm, and gradually in- 
crease the dose of tartar emetic from one grain to sixty, without causing 
vomiting; to gradually increase the amount of whiskey from a tablespoon- 
ful to one gallon a day, without causing great intoxication; and finally, to 
begin with a small quantity of tobacco each day, and to gradually increase 
it day by day, until at last we become accomplished chewers, and can chew 
a plug a day. 

Now, this law of toleration does not prove that the habitual use of all 
these poisons is not injurious to the human constitution. These interest- 
ing facts only show that our vital powers are indeed prodigious, and that 
they are constantly endeavoring to overcome all morbid and injurious in- 
fluences ) and although the habitual use of these well known poisons may 
not prove suddenly destructive of human life, they do not the less certainly 
produce their legitimate poisonous influence upon all the various organs of 
the body, causing indigestion, nervous debility, epilepsy, apoplexy, palsy, 
idiocy, and insanity ! 

It is one of the most subtle and penetrating of all poisons, and when used 
habitually, its active principle is readily absorbed into the blood, and soon 
penetrates all the tissues of the human body, completely saturating the 
whole system with its peculiar properties, so that we may detect its odor 
in the breath, and its presence in the perspiration, urine, and all the secre- 
tions of the body. 

The author once knew a young clergyman in the interior of Pennsyl- 
vania, the sheets of whose bed were as yellow as saffron, every Saturday 
night, from the tobacco exhaled through his skin during the week ! His 
room was like a sort of smoke house, and his whole body was perfectly 
dried and smoked in the fumes of this disgusting weed, until it was as 
yellow as a smoked herring ! 

We are told by Dr. Lawson, late surgeon general of the United States 
army, who accompanied general Scott to Mexico, that he often observed, 
that when the wolves and buzzards came upon the battle fields, to devour 
the slain, they would not disturb the bodies of those who had chewed and 
smoked tobacco, until they had consumed all the fresh ones among them ! 
And yet there are thousands of presumptuous young chewers and smokers, 
who expect that refined young ladies, or rather angels, as they sometimes 
call them, will be willing to love and cherish all of their lives, what even 
buzzards will reject as nauseating and unwholesome ! 

When this poisonous weed is used by the human being habitually, it ex- 
erts a most injurious influence upon the stomach, causing loss of appetite, 



DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 197 

indigestion, upon the brain causing serious nervous disorders, upon the 
heart causing violent and dangerous palpitation, upon the lungs causing 
shortness of breath, pulmonary debility, and consumption. When we 
look at any company of Americans, assembled for any public purpose, 
judges, lawyers, legislators, and even ministers, what a number of them 
are marked as the victims of this vicious and loathsome indulgence of chew- 
ing and smoking tobacco. Their pallid countenances, relaxed muscles, 
yellow skins and lips, languid steps and listless postures, attest its terrible 
effects upon their constitutions and their health. Follow these unhappy 
men to their private homes, and how many of them will be found com- 
plaining of loss of appetite, pains in their chests and backs, violent and 
dangerous palpitations, with indigestion • which daily increase, until some 
incurable malady steps in, and quickly hurries them to a premature and 
untimely grave. Indeed, the number of our most gifted citizens, our most 
brilliant poets and scholars, who voluntarily commit suicide in this way, is 
perfectly appalling! In my very extensive observation and experience, 
many times every day for the last twenty years, constantly engaged in ex- 
amining and prescribing for various chronic diseases, more affections of the 
stomach, heart, brain and nerves, are produced by the habitual use of 
tobacco than by any other cause, and they have been easily cured by re- 
linquishing its use. I have been often struck with the fact so often no- 
ticed in our public papers, that when any one dies suddenly of disease of 
the heart, it is almost always a man ; and when you inquire into the par- 
ticulars of his life, you will find him nearly always a user of tobacco. The 
experiments of Brodie and others, show that tobacco exerts a most perni- 
cious influence upon the nerves of the heart, lungs, and stomach, causing 
frequent sighing and oppression of respiration, violent palpitation of the 
heart, irregular pulse, the heart beating three or four times very rapidly, 
and then omitting one or two pulsations, caused by injury and partial par- 
alysis of the eighth pair of nerves; and also how frequently total palsy of 
these nerves of the heart, when it stops beating at once and forever, when 
the man falls, and immediately expires. After minute examination by dis- 
section, it will be found that in most of these cases of sudden death, by 
what is called heart disease, this organ is found to be perfectly healthy, 
and sound in every respect, the person dying of paralysis of the eighth 
pair of nerves, which are sent from the brain to the heart, lungs and 
stomach, caused by the habitual use of this terrible poison. Out of more 
than seventy cases of sudden death, which have come under the author's 
notice, and where the previous habits, on careful inquiry, could be ascertain- 
ed, more than eight out of ten were free users of tobacco. The late Dr. 
Twitchel, of Keene, New Hampshire, than whom New England has rarely 
produced an abler or more profound medical mind, told the author that 



198 DISEASES OP THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

for more than forty years, while engaged in a most extensive practice, he 
had observed that nearly every case of sudden death of heart disease that 
came under his notice, the person was accustomed to the free use of tobacco, 
causing palsy of the pneumogastric nerves, and instant death. The late 
Dr. R. D. Muzzey of Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the ablest surgeons of the 
"West, has declared that such was also his observation, and that almost 
always "tobacco paralysis" was the cause of sudden death from what was 
commonly called heart disease. 

Of all the various methods of using tobacco, smoking is perhaps the 
most common and fashionable, more especially among our young men. 
When it is used in this way, the subtle poison is drawn into the lungs 
with the air which we breath, and exposed to a vast surface of delicate 
mucous membrane, lining the delicate air-cells, estimated to be more than 
seven times as extensive as that which covers the whole outside surface of 
the human body, and is there absorbed into the blood. If the air which we 
breathe is impregnated ever so slightly with the fumes and smoke of this 
virulent poison, and then exposed to this vast surface of delicate mucous 
membrane, designed by nature to absorb the pure oxygen of the atmos- 
phere, it will be absorbed by the blood, in quantities sufficient to produce 
the most serious consequences upon the brain, nerves, &c. When this 
subtle poison is thus absorbed, instead of purifying, it vitiates the blood, 
which is sent to all parts of the system, producing an excited and feverish 
action, more especially in persons of a nervous and delicate organization. 
Eruptions on the skin, weakness of the heart and stomach, dizziness, head- 
ache, and confusion of the mind, are some of its inevitable consequences; 
and when there is any tendency to consumption, the debility of the lungs 
consequent upon its use, must favor the rapid deposit of tubercular matter, 
and the production of this disease. 

But the most injurious form in which tobacco can be used is chewing. 
When one or two drachms of this powerful narcotic is taken into the 
stomach, it will often prove fatal; and when it is taken into the mouth, 
in a smaller quantity, and remains there for a considerable time, a part of 
its poisonous properties will be absorbed into the blood, producing the 
most enervating and debilitating effects upon the stomach, brain and nerves. 
If we were too strong and robust, and wished to reduce our physical powers 
in a slow yet certain way, we could not adopt a more convenient method 
of doing so. All prize fighters understand this principle, and though 
many of them use it habitually when not in training, and out of condition, 
and unfit for the contest, yet when the match is made for the largest prize, 
and they commence training, to develop the greatest amount of physical 
strength and endurance, they always abstain from the use of tobacco in all 
its various forms. If it was known among the fraternity, when the stakes 



DISEASES OP THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 199 

were driven, and the ring was formed, and the principals stepped in pre- 
pared for the contest, that one of them had, while training, used tobacco 
in any form, all of the betting would go against him. None know better 
than they from practical experience, the emasculating and debilitating 
effects of the use of tobacco upon the nervous and muscular system, and 
that its disuse is followed by a rapid increase of nervous force and muscular 
power. What a remarkable fact for the consideration of many of our 
pale, sallow, cadaverous and debilitated young men, who despoil themselves 
of their nobility and manhood by this pernicious indulgence ! Who, in- 
deed, among the numerous chewers of tobacco has not experienced the 
deathly sickness which, at least, it occasionally produces ! Surely there 
are not many of them who will candidly deny its great power to relax the 
whole animal system. 

When our youth at school commence to chew and smoke at an early 
and immature period, it will interrupt the process of nutrition and growth, 
and produce the most disastrous effects, which will follow them all through 
their after life. It is at this period, also, that it exhibits its most delete- 
rious effects upon the brain, producing languor of the body, disinclination 
to study, mental confusion, and frequently partial dementia. In fact, it 
was found on careful investigation instituted by order of the French gov- 
ernment, that all those students who used tobacco, in the Polytechnic School 
of Paris (containing over fifteen hundred pupils) were inferior every 
way, as students, occupying a position in scholarship about ten per cent., 
on an average, lower than those who did not use it in any form. These 
facts led to the celebrated order of Veilleman, Minister of Instruction, 
forbidding its use in any of the schools supported by the French govern- 
ment. 

Besides these local effects, causing indigestion, &c, before mentioned, it 
produces fixed pains around the region of the stomach and heart, and in 
some cases a looseness of the bowels, and in others torpor and constipation, 
with weakness of the back and organs of reproduction. Much might be 
said upon this last point, if this was the proper place. Suffice it to say, 
there is no greater cause of premature decay and impotency. 

Diseases of the mouth are also among its most striking effects, often 
generating cancer of the tongue, jaw, gums, lips, &c. Its use has been 
supposed by some to preserve the teeth, but no idea could be more falla- 
cious, for, while it cannot exert any beneficial influence upon the bony 
structure of the teeth, it often causes disease of the gums, interrupting 
the process of nutrition, and causing the death of the teeth, when they 
fall out without any indications of decay. The gums, jaws, tongue and 
lips are exceedingly liable to be affected by its use. For more than twen- 
ty years I have always inquired of persons who have called to consult for 



200 DISEASES OP THE BRAIN AND NERVES, 

these affections, whether they used any tobacco, and the answer has been 
almost invariably in the affirmative, and the disease has generally been 
discovered on the side of the jaw, tongue, or lips, where the quid or pipe 
had been retained most constantly. In fact, some authors designate this 
form of cancer as " smoker's cancer," in consequence of its occurring 
most frequently among that class of men. Again, the lower lip is much 
more frequently affected with cancer than the upper lip, in consequence 
of the irritation produced by acrid substances held in the mouth being 
brought much more frequently in contact with it. No substance could be 
more likely to produce, morbid irritation, resulting in cancerous disease, 
than tobacco juice. Few women are afflicted with this terrible disease. 
Where we find one female with cancer of the lip, we shall find fifty men. 
In over one hundred cases of cancer of the lip, that have come under the 
author's professional notice in the last twenty years, only two were women, 
and both of them were smokers. 

Old people are very liable to cancerous affections, especially about the 
face, often caused by irritation produced by diseases of the skin, finally 
resulting in this malignant disease. This irritation of the skin may often 
be caused by the use of tobacco in the mouth, upon the neighboring or- 
gans, by sympathetic action. Very few days pass without the author be- 
ing able to verify the truth of these remarks. 

But, again, the habitual use of tobacco is not only ruinous to health 
and happiness, but it is a filthy and demoralizing practice, gradually im- 
pairing our self-respect, and rendering us careless of our personal appear- 
ance, in our social intercourse with the world around us. Now, if any 
consumer of this vile weed has any doubt of the truth of this observation, 
let him visit with me the house of an amiable and beautiful young lady 
for whom he has "experienced a tender passion." Perhaps we shall find 
her engaged in the ordinary duties of housekeeping — making pies, for in- 
stance — with the spices spread so profusely over the surface of the pies 
and tarts, while at the same time a little cinnamon, which she has just 
taken from another box, lays so provokingly loose over the surface of her 
upper lip ! Or, perhaps we may discover her kneading up bread, with 
the yellow drop hanging in doubtful security at the end of her nose ! Sup- 
pose you call some fine evening, as the author did not long ago, upon some 
young ladies quite unexpectedly, and you discover them "enjoying their 
comfort," that is, all sitting around a table with a box of snuff, and each 
lady with her sleeves rolled' up, rubbing her teeth and gums with an old 
snuff-rag, until the snuff and saliva runs down their arms and drips off at 
their elbows ! What would any one give for the pleasure of loving and 
cherishing such a refined young lady for life? 

Now, suppose any young woman of education and refinement could 



DISEASES OP THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 201 

peep into some of the club rooms frequented by some of our fashionable 
young men, and observe them at their leisure, leaning back in their easy 
chairs with their feet raised up at an angle of forty-five degrees, nursing 
away at a dirty cigar or filthy pipe, looking for all the world as if they 
ought to have been weaned long ago, but here they are, sucking still ! 
Surely, they must conclude that the mothers of such young gentlemen 
" did not know they were out." 

When young chewers and smokers become a little older, then they be- 
come still more demoralized, and when they call upon educated and refined 
ladies, to exhibit their culture and manliness, they will spit great mouth- 
fuls of filthy saliva upon the ladies' carpets, and then cap the climax of 
manly refinement by deliberately rubbing it in with their feet. 

Again, see how economical many of these young men are in the concump- 
tion of this " solace," or comforter. When his dinner is ready how care- 
fully he removes the quid from his mouth, and deposits it in the pocket of 
his vest; and after he has finished his sumptuous repast, how quickly he 
re-deposits this savory morsel in his mouth again ! Many neat house- 
wives provide large earthen spittoons for their dear, loving husbands to 
spit in, and so preserve the carpet from destruction. Now, did any chewer 
or smoker ever carefully examine one of these American notions — one of 
these appendages of fine, fast young men in this country — filled with 
huge quids and "old sodgers," floating in their appropriate element? Can 
any man fancy any thing more appropriately termed the filth of filthiness 
and the vile of vileness? Now who, pray tell us, wash and cleanse out 
these filthy spittoons, from time to time ? Is it the refined young men 
who use them? Oh, no! but the dear, sweet, delicate little creatures 
men get down on their knees to before marriage, and call angels, &c; but 
as soon as they get the knot tied, set them to work on old, dirty spittoons ! 
Now, if I was a woman, and I had a husband who would chew and 
smoke, I would never provide a spittoon and keep it clean for him, but 
I would get a large gourd and cut a hole in it, and then fasten it with a 
tow string around his neck, to be always near and convenient, so when he 
wanted to spit he could easily spit into it, and not on the floor or carpet, 
and when he wanted an emetic, all he would require would be to look 
into it! 

But some will assert that they chew or smoke by the advice of a doctor, 
or for the " benefit of their health." Poor ignorant souls they are to be 
pitied ; being much like the man who had eaten something that gave him 
the cholic, was advised by his doctor to take an emetic, and finding himself 
relieved, continued to take it, until he puked himself to death ! Medi- 
cines were never designed to prevent people from getting sick who disobey 
the laws of health, and should not be used habitually. 



202 DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

If it were true that the habitual use of tobacco was useful or beneficial 
in any respect, then all men should be ashamed of their own sex, in view 
of their inhuman treatment of women. What ! a brave, generous, high- 
minded, chivalrous man, be so contemptibly mean and selfish, as to chew 
and smoke all the tobacco himself, and not share with his wife and daugh- 
ters ? Now, the truth is, every tobacco consumer has within himself a 
secret knowledge that it is a filthy practice, and is injurious to his health, 
and hence his opposition to its use on the part of his wife and daughters, 
and the only reason why he does not himself break off the habit is, be- 
cause he has not independence or manhood enough to follow the dictates 
of his own conscience, and do so ! Poor man, he has become a slave to 
himself, a slave to his own appetites, a slave for life, — not to brute force, 
but to slavery infinitely worse, the slavery of the appetites over the will 
and the understanding. 

All habits, whether bad or good ones, become a kind of second nature ; 
and all reform or change of bad habits for good ones, is productive of 
immediate painful results. Indeed, this is one of the greatest of all ob- 
stacles to all moral reform, and to all religious culture. When a man 
drinks to excess, that is, when he drinks a gallon a day, and he breaks off 
at once, and becomes a strict temperance man, a teetotaler, does he feel 
better, or more happy at once for the change ? Ah, no ! but he often 
gets the delirium tremens. When a man smokes to excess, that is, when 
he smokes with two pipes in his mouth at once, and he leaves off at once, 
does he feel better, more healthy and happy immediately ? No, indeed. 
There will be reaction, terrible debility and despondency, which will last 
for several days or weeks. But ultimately, there will be restoration to 
health, and perfect happiness. And so it is of all changes from every bad 
habit to a good one, the immediate result is painful and disagreeable, while 
the ultimate result is the most exquisite happiness. 

With such facts before the young man, to form the basis of his con- 
duct, and regulate his habits in after life, how is it possible for him to run 
such terrible risks, and make such sacrifices of money, time, health and 
happiness, for the delusive, and imaginary pleasure of indulging in the 
use of this filthy and disgusting habit of chewing and smoking tobacco ; 
more especially, since it has been ascertained by experiment, that it is im- 
possible, for even an inveterate smoker, while smoking in the dark, to de- 
termine whether his cigar is " lighted or not !" 



ON THE EYE. 



203 



LECTURE XX. 
ON THE EYE. 
The human eye is one of tne most interesting and useful of all the or- 



Fig. 115. 



gans of our senses. It is located 
in a deep cavity of the skull, 
called the orbital foramen, and 
is surrounded by soft, fatty, elas- 
tic cushions for its protection. 
The anterior surface of the eye- 
ball is covered with the eyelids, 
which are lined with a soft, de- 
licate, pale pink colored mucous 
membrane, which secretes a lu- 
bricating fluid, called mucus, 
which constantly lubricates the 
inner surface of the eyelids, and 
the anterior surface of the eyeballs, to prevent friction, irritation, and 
inflammation of the eyes when we open and close them. 




The Eye. 



Lachrymal Glands. 



When we raise up and remove a 
part of the upper eyelid, we shall dis- 
cover a pink colored body, about the 
size and shape of a lima bean, called 
the lachrymal gland. These little 
glands secrete a saline fluid, called 
the tears, which are nature's own eye- 
water, and are designed to constantly 
bathe and lubricate the delicate mu- 
cous membrane lining the eyelids, and 
covering the anterior third of the 
eyeball, keeping it soft and smooth, 
and preventing it from becoming ir- 
ritated and inflamed. 

Having washed the inner corners 
of the eyelids, the tears enter two 
small round openings, called the punc- 
ta lachrymalse, and through the la- 
chrymal ducts into the lachrymal 
sacs, which finally terminate in the 
cavity of the nose, as seen in the ac- 



Fig. 116. 




Front of the Eyeball and its appendages. 1, 
Dotted outline, showing the position, size and 
shape of the Lachrymal Gland 2, similar out- 
line, showing the form and position of the 
Lachrymal Sac and Nasal Duct. On the left 
hand of this, other dotted lines indicate the 
course of the two Lachrymal Canaliculi, leading 
into the Sac, one above, and one below, the 
Lachrymal Lake or Sinus, which is occupied by 
the Caruncle; between the Caruncle and the 
Eyeball, is the edge of the Rudimentary Nictita- 
ting Membrane. The Asterisk * indicates the 
oritice of the lower Canaliculus, named the in- 
ferior Lachrymal Punctual. The orifices of the 
Meibomian Glands, are seen in the margin of the 
lower Eyelid. The white exposed part of the 
Eyeball, corresponds with a portion of the 
Sclerotic Coat of the Eye. The circular dark- 
colored part represents the Iris, perforated by 
the pupil, and covered by the transparent coat 
or Cornea. 



204 



ON THE EYE. 



Fig. 117. 



companying illustration. These tear-passages are all lined with the same 
pale pink colored mucous membrane, which lines the nose, throat, stomach 
and intestinal canal, of which it is a mere continuation. These delicate 
mucous membranes, resembling each other in structure, nature and uses, 
all sympathise with each other in health and in disease. When the mu- 
cous membrane lining the intestinal canal becomes congested, irritated, and 
inflamed, from the use of unwholesome and indigestible food, this disease 
is often extended upwards along the mucous membrane to the throat, nose, 
lining surface of the tear-passages, eyelids, &c, producing congestion, irri- 
tation and inflammation of the lining surface of the tear-passages, causing 
the secretion of large quantities of mucus or slime, which accumulates in 
the lachrymal sacs, obstructing the tear-passages, interrupting the flow of 
the tears down through their cavities into the nose, causing u watery eyes/' 
" overflow of the tears," &c 

In some instances the tear-pas- 
sages are not only obstructed, but 
entirely closed, by stricture caused 
by inflammation, producing the 
disease called fistula lachrymals. 
When the tears do not escape 
down through the tear-passages 
into the nose, they will accumu- 
late in the tear-sacs, which soon 
become distended, forming soft, 
elastic tumors, near the inner cor- 
ners of the eyelids, upon the side 
of the nose, as seen in the accompanying illustration. 

When these tumours are pressed firmly they will discharge through the 
tear-ducts and puncta, a quantity of purulent mucus, mixed with tears, 
&c. When this disease is neglected or improperly treated, inflammation 
often takes place in consequence of exposure to colds, &c. followed by 
extensive suppuration, or the formation of matter, which gathers and 
breaks, as seen in fig. 117, and after discharging for some time it heals, 
leaving an unsightly scar. 

Treatment. When the tear-passages are only slightly irritated or in- 
flamed, causing a sort of lachrymal catarrh, or watery eyes, the disease 
may generally be cured by mild means, without a resort to surgical treat- 
ment. The mucous membrane lining the intestinal canal must first be 
unloaded by the use of saline cathartics, such as the citrate of magnesia, 
or the tartrate of potash and soda, taken early every morning, followed by 
a good alterative tonic, to restore the healthy action of the mucous mem- 
brane lining the intestinal canal, such as the preparations of quinine and 




Fistula Lachrymal set. 



ON THE EYE. 205 

nux vomica. At the same time the lachrymal ducts and tear sacs should 
be carefully washed out by means of a delicate syringe and a weak solu- 
tion of carbolate of soda. The fine point of the syringe being inserted 
into the orifices of the tear-ducts, this solution may be injected into the 
tear-sacs once or twice a day, with the best results. 

When the tear-passages are closed by adhesive inflammation, causing a 
permanent stricture, closing the passage into the nose so that no fluid can 
be injected through it, then a cure can only be effected by a delicate sur- 
gical operation. Sometimes stricture can be dilated^ and the tear-pass- 
ages opened, by the introduction of fine silver probes through the orifices 
of the tear-ducts to the seat of obstruction ; but in other instances it can 
only be overcome by the insertion of a gold or silver style, which must be 
worn for a short time, to overcome the obstruction, and restore the tear- 
passages to a healthy condition. 

Tarsal Opthalmia. 

The eyelids contain a great multitude of little feather-shaped follicles, 
called Meibomian glands, which secrete an oily fluid, and pour it out 
through little openings along the edges of the lids, seen in fig. 116. 

This oily fluid is designed to lubricate and prevent the edges of the lids 
from adhering to each other when we close them. Sometimes these little 
glands at the edges of the lids become congested, red, swollen, and painful, 
and their oily secretions become suppressed, and the edges of the lids are 
covered with thick scales of gummy matter, causing the edges of the lids 
to adhere to each other, during the night, so that they can only be opened 
with difficulty, after washing them with warm water, in the morning. 

This disease of the edges of the eyelids is known as " tarsal opthalmia," 
or scrofulous sore eyes. When only one of the Meibomian glands of the 
lid is involved, and becomes inflamed, swollen and painful, it is called a 
stye. Diseases of the glands of the eyelids only occur in persons of a 
strumous or scrofulous constitution, and are always indicative of the state 
of the general health, and when neglected or improperly treated, the in- 
flammation may' extend to the globe of the eye, causing inflammation and 
ulceration of the cornea, &c. 

Treatment. When the edges of the eyelids become thickened, red and 
irritable, or inflamed, they should be bathed frequently with a weak solu- 
tion of warm salt and water, to remove all the gummy matter, and other 
accumulations from the edges of the lids and roots of the lashes, and then 
a little diluted ointment of the yellow nitrate of mercury, carefully rubbed 
into the edges of the lids night and morning. To improve the blood, and 
invigorate the constitution, take twenty or thirty drops of the syrup of 
iodide of iron after each meal, three times a day. 
14 



206 



ON THE EYE. 




A tumor in the Eyelid. 



Fig- 118. Small tumors are sometimes 

formed in the substance of the 
lids, as seen in fig. 118. Some- 
times these tumors consist of little 
sacs, filled with a glairy fluid, or 
an oily soft substance, like a wen, 
and again, they may be solid. At 
first they are quite loose, and roll 
beneath the skin. They usually 
grow very slowly, and it may be 
several years before they involve 
the substance of the lid. These 
tumors can only be removed by a surgical operation, and the opening 
should be made beneath the lid, to avoid the production of a scar. 

Fig. 119. Th e eyelids are also liable to be 

turned inwards or outwards, produc- 
ing what is called entropion and ec- 
tropion. When the edges of the 
eyelids are inverted, or turned in- 
wards, in consequence of the con- 
traction of the lining surface of the 
lids, the lashes are turned inwards 
against the surface of the globe of 
the eye, causing great irritation and 
inflammation ; and if neglected or 
improperly treated, may cause opacity of the cornea, and loss of sight. 
This disease is often called "ingrowing lashes, or "wild hairs" &c. 

Treatment. For the cure of entropion, it is necessary to remove, by 
a delicate surgical operation, a fold of the skin from the outside sur- 
-p - 9ft face of the lid, so as to turn the edge 

of the lid outwards, and remove the 
lashes from the surface of the globe of 
the eye. In such cases, a permanent 
cure may be effected in three or four 




Entropion. The eyelashes of the lower lid 
resting against the eyeball. 




Scalds, burns, or other accidental 
injuries, may cause contraction of the 
outside surface of the eyelids, causing 
them to become everted or turned out- 
wards, allowing the tears to run down 

Ectropion, caused by an Injury of the lower OVer the Surface of the face, and pro- 

Lld - ducing great inconvenience, and serious 



ON THE EYE. 207 

deformity ! Such cases can generally be cured by removing a a shaped piece 
from the edge of the lid, and then raising it up to its proper place, and 
uniting its divided edges with fine silver pins, which may be removed at 
the end of three or four days. 

Sometimes foreign bodies, such as motes, grains of sand, or particles of 
dust, cinders, &c, may accidentally fall into the eye, and get beneath the 
lids, causing great irritation, congestion, and inflammation, with much pain 
and suffering. Such cases must be treated with great care, to avoid seri- 
ous consequences. Avoid all rubbing and friction of the lids, as this only 
makes bad matters worse, by increasing the irritation, pain and distress. 
Bathe the eye with cool water, and then wipe dry, then seize the eyelashes 
of the upper lid with your thumb and finger, and draw the lid well down 
over the lashes of the lower lid, and then let go of it, when the lashes of 
the lower lid will act like a brush, and remove the foreign substance. To 
remove the congestion, inflammation and pain, apply a piece of cloth wet 
in weak alum water, containing ten grains to an ounce of water. 

The eyelids are lined with a delicate pale pink colored mucous mem- 
brane, which also covers the anterior portion of the eyeball, and is called 
the conjunctiva, which is continuous with the mncous membrane lining 
the tear-passages, the nose, throat, stomach, and intestinal canal. When 
any portion of this extensive mucous membrane becomes irritated or in- 
flamed, the disease is apt to extend itself, by continuity of surface, to all 
of the other portions. 

When our ancestors drank too much hard cider or " applejack," or strong 
whiskey, it often caused intense irritation and inflammation of the mucous 
membrane lining their stomachs, which was often extended upward along 
this delicate mucous membrane through the tear-passages to the lining sur- 
face of their eyelids, causing congestion, inflammation, &c, called conjunc- 
tivitis, or "red eyes." 

In fact the same disease may be often " seen out West," even at the 
present day, especially among that class of people who abuse themselves 
by the use of alcoholic stimulants. The origin of this form of ophthal- 
mia or sore eyes is so familiar and well understood throughout our Western 
country, that common whiskey is often called "red eye" Conjunctivitis 
or catarrhal ophthalmia, with profuse secretion of mucus and great intol- 
erance of light, is always increased by exposure to colds, to damp atmos- 
phere, badly ventilated rooms, &c. 

Treatment. For the cure of conjunctivitis or catarrhal inflammation of 
the eyes, we must first unload the mucous membrane lining the digestive 
canal. When there is much fever, heat and inflammation, with great in- 
tolerance of light, and the lids are firmly closed, the treatment should 
always commence with an emetic of tart, of antimony or lobelia. 



208 ON THE EYE. 

K.. Tart. Emetic 4 grains. 

Syrup, 4 drachms. 

Cinnamon Water, 4 ounces. 

Water, .8 ounces. 

Mix. 

Of this solution a child may take two teaspoonsful every ten minutes, 
and an adult one tablespoonful. Continue its use until it produces copious 
vomiting and the eyes are freely opened, and intolerance of light is removed. 

This treatment may be followed by the daily use of saline cathartics every 
morning, and some of the mineral tonics after each meal, three times a day. 
All unwholesome food and drink which is calculated to irritate and inflame 
the mucous membrane of the intestinal canal, such as whiskey, tea, coffee, 
tobacco, salt meats or fish, pickles, sweetmeats, pastry, &c, must be totally 
abandoned, and light nourishing food, such as milk, wheat bread, boiled 
fresh meats and cooked fruits, substituted for them. 

Having unloaded the intestinal canal, and relieved the engorgement of 
the blood-vessels of the mucous membranes, and removed the intolerance 
of light, so that the eyes may be freely examined, suitable local applica- 
tions can now be made to the diseased eyes. Only mild, soothing applica- 
tions should be used to the eyes in this disease. 

Bathe the eyes several times a day with a teaspoonful of fine salt in a 
cup of warm water. It is always best in applying washes to the eyes to 
raise the lids, and with a suitable syringe inject the mild, soothing washes 
beneath the lids, to wash out all irritating mucus, and other secretions from 
beneath the lids. Washes imperfectly applied to the outside surface of the 
eye lids, can exert but little influence upon the conjunctiva or mucous mem- 
brane lining the lids. 

Having removed all of the poisonous secretions and accumulations be- 
neath the lids, the cure may be still further facilitated by the application 
of mild astringent ointments, such as the diluted ointment of the yellow 
nitrate of mercury, or the sulphate of zinc, carefully rubbed into the edges 
of the lids, or in ulceration of the cornea applied beneath the lids night and 
morning. 

This treatment is mild, safe and exceedingly efficacious, and almost al- 
ways affords prompt relief. The author feels certain that thousands of 
those who are now suffering with incurable loss of sight, might have retain- 
ed the use of their eyes if this emetic plan of treatment had been resorted 
to early in their disease. 

Granular Eye-Lids. 

When catarrhal opthalmia is neglected or improperly treated, it may re- 
sult in granular inflammation, or the formation of fleshy granules upon the 




ON THE EYE. 209 

lining surface of the lids, increasing their thick- 

6 , .',.,.. „ , Fig. 121. 

ness, and causing their lining surface to become 

rough and uneven, and the eyes to feel as if there 
were grains of sand in them. Figure 121 
shows the mucous membrane lining the upper 
lid covered with fine granulations. Granular 
eye-lids may result from any form of inflamma- 
tion of the eyes, when the disease is neglected 

. , , , . Granular Ophthalmia. 

or improperly treated, and is very common 
among people of intemperate habits. 

Treatment. Granular inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the 
eyelids, is a painful disease and difficult of cure, and requires the most 
skillful and thorough treatment. No mere trifling with eye- waters, &c, 
will ever cure this affection. In the first place, the diet and other habits of 
the patient must be totally revolutionized. In a large majority of cases, 
this disease occurs in weakened and broken down constitutions, and the 
constitution must be renovated and built up by the use of alteratives, tonics, 
&c., such as iron, bark, quinine, &c, and light wholesome and nourishing/ 
food. 

When there is much congestion and local inflammation of the eyelids, 
it will be best to commence the local treatment by free scarification of 
their lining surface, to unload the congested blood vessels, and subdue the 
inflammation. After free scarification of the lids, their under surface should 
be exposed to the air, and sponged with warm water, to promote a free dis- 
charge of blood. As soon as the bleeding has subsided, place the handle of 
a pencil against the outside of the lids, and having bent the lashes over it, 
rotate the pencil so as to turn the lids out freely, exposing the rough uneven 
granulations to view, then dip a soft camel's-hair brush in a solution of ni- 
trate of silver, thirty to forty grains to the ounce of distilled water, and 
move it gently and carefully over all of these granulations. Confine the lid 
carefully in this position for a few moments, and then with a soft sponge 
wet in warm water, wash off the inside of the lids, and apply a little pure 
glycerine, to prevent the caustic from irritating and inflaming the globe of 
the eye, when the surface of the lids comes in contact with it. 

When used with skill and care, this application is not very painful, and 
is far superior in its effects to "blue stone" or any other preparation. A 
single application is often sufficient to effect a cure when followed by 
suitable after treatment. It is always far better to make a single thorough 
application, than a great many weak and inefficient but equally painful 
applications, to destroy these granulations upon the under surface of the 
eyelid. There is no possibility of curing any case until the granulations 
are totally destroyed. 



210 



ON THE EYE. 




Pterygium. 
When the eyes are much exposed to the stimulus of artificial light, 
more especially in persons of irregular habits who use tobacco and strong 
alcoholic stimulants excessively, the blood-vessels near the corner of 
Fig. 122. the eye gradually become enlarged, and 

extend themselves until they form a 
sort of triangular shaped web or film 
over the sight, known as pterygium, 
causing much irritation, and when ne- 
glected may result in the destruction of 
sight. Pterygium can only be removed 
with safety by a delicate surgical opera- 
tion. The fold of mucous membrane 
and blood-vessels is carefully raised up 
ptyrigium. from the surface of the globe of the 

eye, by means of a pair of delicate rat-toothed forceps, when it is skillfully 
dissected off by means of a delicate knife. The wound should be dressed 
by means of alum washes composed of ten grains of alum, to an ounce of 
water, applied three or four times a day by means of a camel's-hair brush. 

Muscles of the Eye. 
The globe of the eye is surrounded by six muscles, one of which is at- 
Fig. 123. tached to the inside, 

and is called the in- 
ternal rectus (a,) 
and serves to turn 
the eyes inwards, an- 
other is attached to 
the outside, which 
serves to turn the 
eyes outwards, and is 
called the external 
rectus (b,) others are 
attached to the up- 
per and under sur- 
faces of the globe of 
the eye, called the 
superior rectus (e,) 
and the inferior rec- 

Muscles of the Eye. ^ fe) ^^ ^ 

the eyes upwards and downwards. Besides these four straight muscles there 
are two others, called the superior and inferior oblique muscles (e and c.) 




on the eye. 
Crooked Eyes. 



211 



Each muscle of the eye receives a nerve from the brain, which some- 
times becomes paralyzed, Fig. 124. 
causing the muscles to which 
it is distributed to become 
weak and relaxed, allowing 
the healthy strong muscle 
on the other side to turn 
the globe of the eye too 
much in that direction, pro- 
ducing what is called stra- 
bismus or crooked eye, this 
deformity is often caused by 
the imitation of teething. 
It is sometimes caused by 
a blow or other accidental 
injury of the eye. Strabis- 
mus impairs very much the 
sense of sight in infancy, 
and seriously interferes with 
the education of the child, 
and if not remedied by prop- 
er treatment in infancy, the 
sight will gradually dete- 
riorate, until at the age of forty or fifty, very few person can see to read 
with a crooked eye. 

If at this time of life the other eye is injured or destroyed, by accident 
or over-use, then the person becomes blind. Under such circumstances, it 
becomes a matter of great importance to straighten a crooked eye early in 
life to bring it into use, and develop and preserve it, so that it may be 
available in case of accidental injury of the other eye ; and also for the pur- 
pose of removing- a serious deformity. The earlier the operation is done, 
the more perfect and satisfactory will be the result. Ether may always be 
administered to children without danger, for the purpose of producing 
temporary insensibility to pain during the operation. 

The author has administered sulphuric ether several thousand times 
within the last twenty years, without any accident, and is confident that 
when the ether is pure, and of good quality, and is administered with or- 
dinary skill and care, there is no danger of any injurious result. To pre- 
vent congestion of the brain, and other organs, headache, nausea, vomiting, 
&c, it should not be administered until several hours after eating, or on 
an empty stomach. 




Strabismus or Crooked Eye, from a Photograph in the 
Author's Cabinet. 



212 



ON THE EYE. 




Cure of Crooked Eyes. 

Fig. 125. Having administered sufficient ether 

to produce insensibility to pain, the eye- 
lids are separated by means of a silver 
speculum, so as to bring the surface of 
the globe of the eye fully into view. 
The conjunctiva or mucous membrane 
covering the eye is now seized with a 
delicate hook or pair of rat-toothed for- 
ceps, and the eye turned in the opposite 
direction, when a small opening is made 
through a fold of the conjunctiva, expos- 
Operation for straightening a Crooked Eye. j ng t]ie surface Q f the con t rac ted muscle, 

which is quickly raised up with a blunt pointed silver hook, and cut off 
with a pair of curved scissors. When this operation is well done, it may 
be accomplished in one minute, with the loss of only a few drops of blood. 

After making sure by careful examination that the eye is perfectly 
straight, then it should be closed, and covered with soft cotton, retaining it 
in this straight position by careful bandaging, until the wound heals, which 
will be accomplished in a few days. This treatment by bandaging pre- 
vents the eye from turning out too far, ox protruding forward, which might 
occur if means were not used to prevent it. The wound also heals far more 
rapidly if the globe of the eye is kept fixed and motionless. 

Notwithstanding the simplicity and ease with which this operation may 
be performed, and its beneficial results, many people assert that "they 
would not have their eyes straightened merely to improve their appearance, 
and gratify their vanity, pride, &c." Indeed they rather pride themselves 
on their refusal to do so as a sort of religious duty. It is evident that such 
people forget that they are commanded not only to cultivate and improve 
the mind and soul, but also the body. ''Know ye not that this body is the 
temple of the living soul, and he who defiles this temple, him also will G-od 
destroy," and yet it is defiled every day with bad whiskey, and worse to- 
bacco ! 

It is true, and yet we regret to say so, that it pays so far as dollars and 
cents are concerned far better as an investment, to cultivate and improve 
the body than the mind and moral nature. While the author dwells upon 
this subject, he is reminded of an amusing incident that occurred to him 
while lecturing in a town in New England, several years ago. One day 
a gentleman over seventy years old, called upon him with a very crooked 
eye to have it straightened, and it being very uncommon for a man of that 
age, to desire such an operation, the author was not a little curious to 



ON THE EYE. 



213 



know what could be his object. Now you know it is said, a man never does 
anything without he has some motive for doing it. So the author said to 
him, I can straighten your eye in one moment, sir, but it will make such a 
remarkable improvement in your appearance, that none of your friends 
will recognise you, and I shall be compelled to accompany you home and 
certify to your wife and family that you are the right man, or there will be 
trouble. "Ah," he replied " I buried my wife about six weeks ago ! " You 
did ! Well now I know what you are thinking about. Finally the old 
gentleman told the author as a great secret, that there was a charming 
widow who owned a big farm that p IG 12 6 

joined on to his, and he had been 
thinking since his poor wife died, 
what a fine thing it would be to 
unite these two big farms togeth- 
er. Of course the author took 
pity on the poor fellow, and 
straightened his crooked eye in 
a few moments, and then sent 
down to Christodoro's under 
the Astor House, in New York, 
and bought him a nice black cur- 
ly wig, and when he got him all 
fixed up, he looked not- much 
over forty, and made such a de- 
cided impression upon the heart 
of the widow, that the two farms 
were united in a short time. It 
pays well to repair the house we 
live in, even in old age, and 
much more in proportion in 
youth. 

The author has -performed this operation for crooked eye, several thou- 
sand times within the last twenty-five years, with almost invariable success, 
and without the loss of a single eye. When skillfully performed, there is 
no surgical operation so invariably successful, or more satisfactory in its 
results. 




Improvement resulting from an operation for Straight- 
ening a Crooked Eye. From photographs in the Au- 
thor's Cabinet. 



214 



ON THE EYE. 



LECTURE XXI 



ON THE EYE. 

The globe of the human eye is composed of three skins or coats, the 
outside of which is composed of the sclerotica and the cornea, the middle 
or choroid coat and iris, the internal coat or retina, It also contains three 
cavities or chambers, the anterior chamber, containing the aqueous fluid, 
the middle chamber, containing the crystalline lens, and the posterior 

chamber, containing the vit- 
reous humor. 

The posterior portion of 
the outside coat of the hu- 
man eye called the sclerotica, 
is much thicker and strong- 
er than the other coats, and 
is united in front with the 
3BE' transparent cornea, much in 
the same way that the metal- 
lic case unites with the trans- 
parent crystal of a watch, 
and for this reason the cor- 
nea is sometimes called the 

>e Eye. 1, the Sclerotica or outside coat- CI 7 sfcal 0r 9 lass of the e y e ; 
2, the Choroid Coat ; 3, the Retina ; 4, the Lens ; 5, Vitreous To enable US to See dis- 

Humor ; 6, the Cornea ; 7, the Iris. ^^ ^ figureg upon ^ 

dial, it is necessary that the crystal of the watch should be clear and trans- 
parent, and so of the cornea in front of the eye. 

Inflammation of the Cornea. 
Fig. 128. Yeij frequently the cornea of the eye 

becomes inflamed and ulcerated, especially 
in persons of a weak strumous or scrofu- 
lous constitution, from neglect or improper 
treatment of any of the various forms of 
ophthalmia. This is a very dangerous form 
of inflammation of the eye, and if the pro- 
cess of ulceration of the cornea is not skill- 
fully treated and speedily arrested, it may 
extend through the inside coat of the cor- 

Inflammation and Opacity of the Cornea. n an( j a ^ QW t ^ e a q Ue0 US humor of the 

eye to escape, and the iris to prolapse or fall forward against the opening in 





ON THE EYE. 



215 



the cornea, to which it adheres and grows fast, and when the nicer heals it 
may have a dense white spot or scar, called opacity of the cornea, seriously 
impairing or totally destroying sight. 

Treatment. This disease of the eye requires prompt and skillful treat- 
ment. The extreme delicacy of the parts involved, will not admit of 
tampering or delay. When the inflammation, fever and pain are violent, 
the bowels should be thoroughly opened by some active purgative, and 
the temples leeched or cupped, followed by the eye bath of warm salt and 
water. Open the lids so that the bath may cleanse out all accumulations 
of poisonous mucus beneath them, and then apply a few drops of a solu- 
tion of atropine, containing two grains to the ounce of water, to the sur- 
face of the globe of the eye, by means of a camels's-hair brush. 

If the cornea becomes ulcerated, then the eye should be kept quiet, and 
be well cleansed with the eye bath of warm salt and water, and a little 
diluted fresh ointment of the yellow nitrate of mercury, as large as a pin's 
head, should be placed beneath the lids, and then having closed them, rub 
gently with the end of the finger, to diffuse or spread the ointment over 
the surface of the ulcer upon the cornea. 

Middle Coat of the Eye. 
The middle coat of the eye is of a dark color, and contains numerous 
blood-vessels and nerves. The posterior portion of the middle coat of the 
eye is called the choroid coat, and the anterior portion, which forms a cur- 
tain or partition, separating the anterior from the middle chamber of the 
eye, called the iris, which varies in its hues, and so determines the color of 
the eye. 

Inflammation of the Iris. 

The iris, like the other coats of the eye, is liable to become the seat of 
inflammation, producing a disease of the eye, 
called iritis. This disease is well represent- 
ed in fig. 129. In this disease, the iris loses 
its natural color, the pupil becomes contract- 
ed and irregular, and loses its mobility. A 
vascular zone forms around the cornea, and 
there is great intolerance of light, with neu- 
ralgic pain over the eyebrow, coming on es- 
pecially at night. 

Treatment. The iris being situated be- 
hind the cornea, no local remedies can be 
applied directly to the seat of the disease. 
Cups and leeches should be applied to the 
temples, as a means of unloading the congest- 
ed blood-vessels of the eye, and the digest- 




inflammation of the Iris. 



216 ON THE EYE. 

ive canal kept well opened, by the use of saline cathartics every morning, 
followed by the use of alterative tonics during the day. A few drops of 
a solution of atropia, two grains to an ounce of water, should be dropped 
into the eye night and morning, to dilate the pupil, and avoid as far as 
possible, the danger of closure by the effusion of lymph. The eye should 
be well covered with compresses wet with cold water, often repeated, and 
the person kept quiet and at rest. 

The Pupil of the Eye. 

The pupil is a small round opening in the centre of the iris, through 
which the rays of light fall upon the retina, productive of the sense of 
sight. This little opening in the iris is called the pupil, for the reason, 
that whenever we look into the eye, we shall see reflected a small image 
of ourselves, looking like a little boy at school. If any young gentleman 
will take the pains to look into the eyes of the young lady he thinks the 
world of, he can easily ascertain how small he looks in her eyes, and it 
will take all his vanity and conceit out of him in a moment 1 

Closure of the Pupil. 

The pupil sometimes becomes closed, in consequence of the effusion of 
plastic lymph from inflammation of the iris, causing total loss of sight. 

Treatment. This disease can only be relieved, and sight restored, by 
an operation for the formation of an artificial pupil. When the cornea 
is transparent, and the eye is in a healthy condition, a section is made 
through the cornea, and a piece of the iris is raised up, and cut out with a 
pair of delicate curved scissors, adapted to this purpose. After the ope- 
ration, the eye is kept closed, and covered with water dressings for a few 
days, until the inflammation subsides. 

The Crystalline Lens. 
The crystalline lens is situated behind the iris, see fig. 128, and in the 
middle chamber of the eye. It is round in shape, and convex upon both 
surfaces, and resembles the lens or glass used by watchmakers and others, 
to examine minute objects. It is designed to refract the rays of light, and 
magnify small objects, so that we can see them more distinctly. It is clear 
and transparent, so as not to obstruct the rays of light. 

Near-Sight. 
At birth the lens is always convex causing all persons at that period to 
be near-sighted, and by use it becomes flatter as we advance in life, causing 
far-sight in old age. All persons are born near-sighted and can only see 
objects at a short distance, and if they are prevented from exercising and 
training their eyes by looking at distant objects, they will remain near- 



ON THE EYE. 217 

sighted all through life. It is only for this reason that there are so many 
more near-sighted women than men, so many more near-sighted persons of 
both sexes in cities than in the country, where there are greater opportuni- 
ties fcr exercising and training the eyes upon distant objects. 

On the contrary, when the eyes are trained and educated in early life to 
look at distant objects, the lens by use become natter, and the sight is im- 
proved. Sailors and signal officers train their eyes, and cultivate the sense 
of sight so they can discern objects at a very great distance. Want of 
early training, looking at distant objects, is the principal reason why there 
are so many young ladies with short-sight. 

Treatment. There is no remedy for near-sight but to flatten the lens by 
use in looking at distant objects. The eyes of all young people who are 
afflicted with near-sight, should be systematically trained to look at distant 
objects many times every day without the aid of glasses, to remedy this 
defect. Grlasses should only be worn temporarily by near-sighted people for 
a few moments at a time, to examine minute objects. When used contin- 
uously they will prevent the eyes from gradually improving by use. 

Far-Sight. 

As already intimated the lens become flattened by use, causing far-sight, 
so that many persons are compelled to resort to the use of glasses, to obvi- 
ate this difficulty. 

Treatment. The lens being composed of soft and plastic materials, is 
capable of being moulded by proper manipulations so as to retain its con- 
vexity, or when by use it has become flattened its convex shape may be 
restored again. For this purpose there is no better agency than the ends 
of the fingers. Place the ends of the thumb and two fingers around the 
globe of the eye, and press them gently against it on each side, the lens 
being soft and plastic, pressure made in this way upon its exterior edges, 
will gradually mould and round its shape, and so improve and preserve the 
sense of sight. This course has been the practice of the author for years, 
and as he believes with much advantage. The success of many others 
might be mentioned, showing the practical utility of this course of manage- 
ment. John Q. Adams informed the author many years ago, that he had 
derived much advantage from this course of management of his eyes, being 
able to see perfectly without glasses, up to the time of his death. The 
well-known success of this distinguished statesman and others, led to the 
invention of what are called " eye cups," for the purpose of restoring the 
eyes of old people who are afflicted with far-sight, but they were found to 
cause congestion of the eyes, and are unsafe on that account. 

Cataract. 
Cataract is also a disease of the crystalline lens. To enable any one to 



218 ON THE EYE. 

see distinctly, the lens must be clear and transparent. In cataract it loses 
its transparency, and becomes opake, white or amber colored, so that 
light is no longer transmitted through it to the optic nerve. Sometimes 
only the delicate skin covering the lens, called the capsule, is affected, 
when the disease is called capsular cataract. In others, only a small spot 
upon the surface of the lens becomes opake, when the disease is called 
stellated cataract. In others, the lens becomes white, opake, and soft, 
and is termed soft cataract. While in others the lens becomes quite dense, 
and amber colored, and is then called hard cataract, as often seen in old 
people. Cataract is produced by a variety of causes. Sometimes it is 
congenital, the child being born blind. In others, it is caused by an in- 
jury, and is then called transmatic cataract. While in other instances it 
may be the result of inflammation, caused by over-use of the eyes, or by 
debility, resulting from failure of the powers of nutrition as often seen in 
old age. 

Treatment. Cataract can only be cured by an operation. In children 

or young people, when the lens is white and soft, it may be easily broken 

Fig. 130. U P an( ^ remove( i by solution, or what 

^^^^^^^^^ is sometimes termed the needle op- 

"^P^^^^^^ll|||&. eration. 

The pupil being well dilated by 
a solution of atropia, to open the 
eye, and bring the opake lens dis- 
tinctly into view, the globe of the 
eye is steadied or kept in position 
by the ends of the fingers of the 
Eemovai of Cataract by Couching, or Solution operator, and his assistant presses 

firmly but gently against the sur- 
face of the lids, while the sharp point of the cataract needle is introduced 
through the coats of the eye, behind the iris in the posterior chamber. 
It is then carefully carried forward until its sharp point is brought into 
view as seen in fig. 130, when it is made to cut the lens into numerous frag- 
ments, which are then gently pushed a little to one side, when they will 
soon dissolve, and disappear, when the pupil becomes clear, and sight is 
restored. 

In hard cataract this operation is not so successful, being often followed 
by severe inflammation, and consequently is not so well adapted to restore 
sight as the operation by extraction, which is done as follows : The person 
being placed fully under the influence of ether, the eyelids are retracted, 
and the globe of the eye is steadied by delicate forceps in the hands of the 
operator and his assistant, when a cataract knife is made to transfix the 
cornea in front of the iris, and cut its way out, as seen in fig. 131. A lit- 




ON THE EYE. 



219 



tie gentle pressure now carefully made upon the outside surface of the lids 



over the globe of the eye, 
when the lens is seen to come 
forward, and is then quickly 
removed through the opening 
made in the cornea, as seen 
in fig. 132. When the lids 
are at once closed over the 
wound in the eye, and cov- 
ered with a soft cotton com- 
press to keep the globe of the 
eye fixed or steady while the 
the wound heals, which requires only a few days. 



Fig. 131. 




Section of the Cornea. 




Internal or Nervous Coat of the Ete. 

The optic nerve pierces through the two out- Fig. 132. 

side coats of the eye, and then expands itself into 
a beautiful web that lines the interior of the 
eye, called the retina, for the reception of im- 
pressions, which are produced by the rays of 
light reflected from various external objects, pro- 
ductive of the sense of sight, see fig. 126. 
These rays of light which are reflected from va- 
rious external objects, pass in through the small f 

round opening in the iris called the pupil, and Removal of the 0pake Lens> and 
fall upon the retina lining the posterior cavity Restoration of Sight. 
of the eye, casting their shadows upon it, producing an image, which is 
quickly transmitted through the optic nerve to the base of the brain, pro- 
ductive of the sense of sight. 

These impressions produced upon the retina, are much like those produ- 
ced by the rays of light reflected from various external objects upon the pol- 
ished plate, in the photographic apparatus in the process of taking pictures. 
But the human eye is vastly superior to any picture taking apparatus in- 
vented by human ingenuity, or by human hands, for when the ingenious 
artist would take a new picture, he must change his polished plate and re- 
adjust his apparatus. Not so with the human eyes, with what wonderful 
facility and amazing rapidity we can take the greatest number of most per- 
fect and beautiful pictures of all external objects — the green meadows, the 
meandering streams, the distant mountains, are all quickly photographed 
by the human eyes, and their most perfect pictures are at once hung around 
the vast galleries of the human brain, as a means of contributing to our 
pleasures and enjoyments. Nor are these pictures merely evanescent, or 



220 



ON THE EYE. 



like lights and shadows which flit before our eyes to dazzle us with their 
splendors, and then disappear forever. When these scenes are once im- 
pressed upon the sensorium, there they will remain forever, and from a 
single negative, the mind can produce millions just like it. By means of 
these wonderful picture taking organs, our eyes, we can gather vast col- 
lections of the most perfect and beautiful pictures from the White Mount- 
ains of New England, to the golden sands of the Pacific Ocean, from the 
blue hills of Scotland, to the sunny plains of France or Italy, or from the 
green islands of the Mediterranean, away down to the golden horn at 
Constantinople. And when all of these exquisitely beautiful pictures are 
once photographed by means of our eyes, we can hang them around the 
vast galleries of the brain, and in after years, when perhaps we may be- 
come blind as Milton in his old age, how we will love to sit at evening hour 
and call up all of these lovely scenes, as fresh and beautiful as when first 
taken in our youth. These eye pictures are all exempt from taxation, and 
free from all levy for debt at the hands of inexorable creditors. They are 
a part of ourselves, and they will remain with us forever. 

Diseases of the Interior of the Eyes. 
Diseases of the retina and interior of the eye are of frequent occur- 
ence, causing great pain, intolerance of light, and destruction of vision. 
Until quite recently very little was known of the true nature of these dis- 
eases. The invention of an instrument called the ophthalmiscope by 
Prof. Helmholz, has enabled us to look into the interior of the eye, and so 

Fig. 133. 




Examining the Interior of the Eye by means of ther Ophthalmiscope. 

ascertain exactly the nature of any disease that may exist in the retina, the 



ON THE EYE. 221 

crystalline lens, the vitreous humor or the optic nerve, or the choroid coat, 
&c. The ophthalmiscope consists of a concave mirror with a small open- 
ing in the centre, held before the eye of the examining surgeon, and a 
magnifying lens, held before the pupil of the person whose eyes it is pro- 
posed to examine. 

The pupil of the eye being well dilated by means of a solution of atro- 
pia, the person whose eyes it is proposed to examine is seated as shown in 
fig. 133, in front of an argand lamp, and the rays of light which are col- 
lected by the concave mirror, are reflected through the lens held in the 
left hand of the examiner, into the interior of the cavity of the eye, illu- 
minating the whole interior, so that all objects contained in its cavity may 
be seen as distinctly as if upon its outside surface, enabling us to determine 
at a single glance whether they are in a healthy or diseased condition. 
The invention of this invaluable instrument has conferred an inestimable 
boon upon mankind, and given a great impetus to the cultivation and ex- 
tension of the science of ophthalmic medicine and surgery, enabling us 
now to cure many diseases of the interior of the eye, which a short time 
since were regarded as incurable, and which if neglected are sure to result 
in total loss of sight. 

Before the invention of the ophthalmiscope the causes of many dis- 
eases of the eye were not understood, and all such diseases of the eye were 
treated with a great variety of remedies, which not only failed to cure the 
disease, but often done much injury to the constitution, and impaired the 
general health. 

Amaurosis. 

This disease, which has been so pathetically described by the blind poet, 
Milton, in his old age, was formerly supposed to indicate a disease of the 
eye, caused by weakness or palsy of the optic nerve, when nothing could 
be seen to indicate any disease of the eye. Since the invention of the 
opthalmiscope, the interior of the eye can be carefully examined, the cause 
of the pain and the gradual loss of vision ascertained, and the proper 
remedy applied before it is too late to arrest its progress I 

Amaurosis may be caused by failure of the powers of digestion and nu- 
trition, by the excessive use of the eyes, or by the abuse of narcotic stim- 
ulants, such as tea, coffee, and tobacco. Some of the most intractable 
cases that have ever come under the author's notice, have been caused by 
the use of tobacco. 

Treatment. The treatment of amaurosis, or " nervous blindness," as it 
has sometimes been called, will depend upon its cause. In all cases, abso- 
lute rest is indispensable. If there is much pain and tenderness of the 
globe of the eye, a few drops of the aqueous solution of atropia may be 
dropped into the eye night and morning, while the general health may be 
15 



222 ON THE EYE. 

improved by the judicious use of a course of laxatives and tonics. Saline 
cathartics, such as the sulphate and citrate of magnesia, may be taken be- 
fore eating in the morning, and as soon as the pain in the globe of the 
eye or brow subsides, a good tonic, composed of iron, phosphorus, quinine, 
and strychnia, may be taken after meals. 

H. Pyrophosphate of Iron, . • . . .2 Drachma. 

Simple Syrup, ...... 1 Pint. 

Mix, and add 

Quinine, ... ... 1 Drachm. 

Strychnia, . . • . .2 Grains. 

Citric Acid, 2 Drachms. 

Water, a sufficient quantity to form a solution. 

Take a teaspoonful of this solution soon after each meal, three times a day, 
in a wineglassful of water. 

How to Strengthen Weak Eyes. 

Our eyes, like all the organs of our senses, are susceptible of wonderful 
cultivation and improvement ! When we come to study the smallness, 
the narrowness, and the delicacy of all the organs of our senses, and con- 
trast them with their matchless powers, we are lost in admiration and as- 
tonishment ! The delicate filaments of the nerves of the organs of our 
senses are finer than a spider's thread, and yet they are the avenues of 
communication between the world which is without us, and the world 
within us. How these little nerves display themselves over a small space, 
upon the surface of the tongue, when every flavor, and every savor, which 
teeming nature and art can produce, are capable of contributing to our 
pleasure and enjoyment. They unfold themselves over a small space in 
the interior of the nose, when we are enabled to catch the perfumes of 
every flower, and the odors of every zone. They ramify themselves over 
a small space in the interior of the ear, when all nature is quickly filled 
with one unending round of harmony, from the shrill notes of the insect, 
up to the mellifluous tones of the song bird, or the music of heaven's 
own cathedral, the thunders, the cataract, and the ocean, become our 
orchestra ! These nervous filaments line a small space in the interior of 
our eyes, so small that we can easily cover it over with the ends of our 
fingers, when lo 1 in an instant, we can contemplate the stars, and the re- 
motest constellations, that seem to border almost upon the confines of space 
itself! 

But again, look around us, and see with what a multiplicity the Creator 
has filled the universe with the greatest number of beautiful objects, to 
induce us to exercise these organs of our senses, and so develop and 
strengthen them, while at the same time we gratify the love of the beauti- 
ful, and the harmonious, which is in the mind and the hearts of all mankind. 



ON THE EYE. 223 

Look at the many-colored flowers of the green earth, and then at the 
many-colored stars of the cerulean sky ! Look at the emerald hues of the 
living foliage of Summer, and then at the gorgeous hues of the dying 
foliage of Autumn, that season when nature weaves a garment of more 
than Tyrean splendor, and casts it, like a mantle over the hills and over 
the valleys ! Look at the symmetry of nature's proportions, whether we 
view it in the tiny coral insect's sepulchre, or in the honey-bee's comb ; 
in the basaltic hills which uphold the everlasting mountains, in the rigid 
shaft of the oak, or the vine which more gracefully festoons it ! 

Now, surely He who has created all colors, and has combined them in 
the petals of the flowers, in the plumage of the birds, and in the armature 
of the insects ! He who has combined the hues of the rose and the lily 
upon the cheek of youth ! He who has sowed jasper, amethyst, crysolite, 
emeralds and diamonds, amidst the rocks and caves of the earth ! He 
who has strewed the bottom of the ocean, with coral and pearls ! Surely 
He was no contemner of beauty or adornment, but has done all that was 
within his matchless power, to induce us to exercise, and so strengthen and 
develop these organs of our senses upon all of these beautiful external 
objects around us, and while we do so, gratify the love of the beautiful and 
harmonious, which is in the mind and heart of all mankind ! 

Odors are the only proper, healthy and natural stimulants which, when 
applied to the organ of the sense of smell, will cultivate, strengthen and 
develop this sense, until it attains wonderful acuteness and accuracy. It is 
related of Farina, that his sense of smell was so well developed, and so 
wonderfully accurate, that he could instantly detect the slightest adultera- 
tion of his famous Eau de Cologne ! 

Various savors and flavors are the only natural stimulants which, when 
applied to the organs of taste, will cultivate, strengthen and develop the 
nerves of this sense, as seen in the wonderful accuracy with which the wine 
and tea merchants can detect the slighest adulterations and imperfections 
of wine and tea ! 

Sound is the only natural stimulus which, when applied to the organs 
of hearing, will cultivate, strengthen and develop the nerves of this sense, 
until they attain wonderful perfection, as seen in many of our most dis- 
tinguished musicians, who can instantly detect the slightest discord, or 
want of perfect harmony ! 

Sunlight is the only proper, healthy natural stimulus of the sense of 
sight, which, when applied to the optic nerves, will cultivate, strengthen 
and develop them, until they attain extraordinary perfection, as often seen 
in the wonderful perfection of the sight of the hunter, and the savage ! 

Remove all of these natural external stimulants from the organs of our 
senses, and they will soon wither and perish, as seen in the blind fish found 



224 ON THE EYE. 

in the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky ! All naturalists agree, that the ru- 
dimentary eyes of the blind fish remain undeveloped for want of sunlight, 
which is a condition indispensable to the development and the preservation 
of sight. Remove the light of the sun from our eyes, and we will soon 
become blind and helpless. Any one can easily verify the truth of this 
assertion by a simple experiment. Gro into a dark closet on a bright sunny 
day, and remain in the darkness for an hour, and then come out again into 
the bright sunlight, and when your eyes are examined, they will look red 
and congested, and they become irritable and painful when exposed to a 
bright light, on account of the diseased and irritable condition induced by 
temporary withdrawal from the sunlight. Many of the unhappy prisoners 
confined in the dungeons of the Bastile, in Paris, became blind from this 
cause, while the eyes of others were rendered so tender and irritable, that 
when released from prison, and they came out into the sunlight, it caused 
them so much anguish, that some of them begged to be re-conducted to pri- 
son, as the only means of putting an end to their agony ! Badly lighted 
rooms are not only injurious to the general health, but often destroy the 
sense of sight ! 

Artificial and Reflected Light. 

It is always very painful and injurious to the eyes, to sit in front of a 
reflected light, allowing its rays to fall directly upon the face and eyes. 
Many persons have become blind from this cause. " Snow blindness" may 
be mentioned as an example of the injurious influence of reflected light. 
Workmen and students, who "trim the midnight lamp" should sit with 
their backs to the light, not allowing it to fall upon their eyes, but upon 
their backs, or work before them. Carefully aviod sitting with the face to 
the window, while engaged at any employment. Teachers of schools can- 
not be too careful in the arrangements of the desks for their pupils. Al- 
ways allow the light to fall upon the work and not upon the eyes, as a most 
important means of preserving sight. Many cases of impaired vision or 
total loss of sight, have resulted from want of knowledge and attention to 
this important condition, for the development and preservation of the eye. 



ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 



225 



LECTURE XXII 




ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 

The ear is the most wonderful and interesting of all the organs of our 
senses. It is divided for convenience of de- Fig. 134. 

scription into three parts, the external, middle 
and internal ear. 

The external ear consists of the auricle, the 
external auditory canal, and the membrane of 
the drum ; the middle ear consists of the cavi- 
ty of the drum, the mastoid cells, and the Eu- 
stachian tube ; while the internal ear consists 
of the labyrinth and nerves of hearing. The 
auricle is situated outside of the head, and is 
so contrived and arranged upon mechanical 
principles, as to serve all of the purposes of an 
ear trumpet in collecting the vibrations of the 
atmosphere, and directing them into the audi- 
tory canal. It has often been made useful for 
other purposes, by the teachers of our schools, 
it being so convenient to take hold of with the 
thumb and lingers, when little boys do not behave as well as they should. 
This method of punishing children is exceedingly reprehensible, and can- 
not be too severely condemned. The author is well acquainted with three 
brothers living in the interior of Pennsylvania, who were made totally deaf, 
by their ignorant and brutal father pulling and boxing their ears as a pun- 
ishment, when they were small boys. Any teacher who should presume to 
punish a pupil in this way, should be expelled from any of our public 
schools without ceremony. Our ears were made to hear with, and not for the 
reception of punishment, nature seems to have prepared safer and more 
appropriate parts of the body for the reception of punishment, where pa- 
rents and teachers who are inclined, can lay on without danger of causing 
deafness. The external auditory canal is about an inch and a quarter long, 
and about one quarter of an inch in diameter, and extends from the auri- 
cle to the membrane of the drum. It is slightly bent or curved down- 
wards and is lined with a reflection of the skin covering the outside surface 
of the body, to which it bears a close resemblance. A large number of 
sebaceous follicles or oil glands are situated beneath the lining surface of 
the external end of the auditory canal, which seorete a bitter oily fluid 



The Auricle. 



226 



ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 



Fig. 135. 




Anatomy of the Ear, the . Auricle, External Auditory Canal, 
Membrane of the Drum, Cavity of the Drum with the Eusta- 
chian Tube going to the Throat, the Labyrinth Bones in the Cav. 
ity of the Drum, Ac. 



designed to prevent parti- 
cles of dust from entering 
the auditory canal, and 
filling its cavity. This 
oily fluid is also intensely 
bitter, and is secreted and 
retained near the external 
orifice of the auditory can- 
al, for the purpose of pre- 
venting the incursions of 
insects and other animals, 
that sometimes inhabit the 
wild uncultivated country 
surrounding the ears. 

When any of these in- 
sects or animals would pen- 
etrate the ear, they at 
once come in contact with 
this intensely bitter oil, which proves so offensive, that it causes them at 
once to turn about, and make off with themselves. Sometimes this oily 
fluid is not secreted, and the auditory canal becomes dry and scaly, when 
various insects may penetrate the auditory canal, as far as the membrane 
of the drum, causing great distress. A small insect popularly called the 
" ear wig" is supposed to have especial inclination to penetrate the ears. 
When any insect or other animal penetrates the ear, it may quickly be 
destroyed or expelled with perfect safety, in this way ! Fill the ear with 
some bland, unirritating oil, and it will quickly cover the spirallse or breath- 
ing organs of the insect, and so suffocate or destroy its life, or at once it 
will expel it by rendering the auditory canal untenable. Very great injury 
may be easily done to the membrane of the drum or the auditory canal, by 
probing the ear with a bodkin or ear-probe, and they should never be used 
except in the hands of an experienced surgeon. 

In persons of a scrofulous constitution, the glands of the neck and fol- 
licles of the auditory canal often become diseased and enlarged, decreasing 
the size of the external auditory canal, and causing partial deafness. In 
other instances, the oily fluid is secreted too profusely, and in consequence 
of the local inflammation and heat of the parts becomes dry and hard, and 
is then called the cerumen or wax of the ear. It often accumulates in 
this way, forming large plugs, which close the auditory canal like a cork 
in a bottle, causing deafness. 

The accumulation of excessive quantities of oily matter or wax in the 
ears is always to be regarded not so much as a cause of deafness, but as 



ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 227 

an indication of follicular inflammation, which if neglected or improperly 
treated may result in the production of deafness. 

Foreign bodies may sometimes be placed in the auditory canal by child- 
ren when at play, or they may be introduced by accident, and cause much 
distress and pain. 

Treatment. When the auditory canal has become obstructed from the 
accumulation of ear-wax, or any foreign substances, they should not be 
disturbed or meddled with by means of a probe or bodkin, as great mis- 
chief may easily be done to the auditory canal, as well as the membrane 
of the drum, causing unnecessary pain and suffering. Soften the wax by 
filling the cavity of the auditory canal with a few drops of glycerin, and con- 
fine it in the ear by means of a little soft cotton, applied to the external 
orifice of the canal, and allow it to remain for twenty-four hours. At the 
end of this period, syringe out the ear carefully with castile soap and warm 
water. 

To wash out the auditory canal with a syringe properly, is not so easy a 
matter as many persons would suppose. In the first place, a good syringe 
is indispensable. The best are made of hard rubber, and have a short 
pipe, rendering it impossible for the instrument to penetrate the ear far 
enough to injure the drum. It will be noticed, by reference to fig. 135, 
that the auditory canal is not straight, but is curved downwards, and to 
syringe it out effectively, the canal must be straightened, by pulling the 
auricle or outside part of the ear, a little upwards and outwards. The 
pipe of the syringe should now be introduced only a short distance into 
the auditory canal, along the upper side of the orifice, leaving plenty of room 
below the pipe for any foreign bodies, or impure accumulation, to escape. 
When the ear is syringed in this way, peas, beans, glass beads, shot, or 
accumulations of wax, may be washed out with the greatest facility, when 
they could not be removed at all by means of a probe or forceps. 

After cleansing out the auditory canal in this way, if there is only a 
little irritation of the lining surface of the auditory canal, a few drops of 
glycerin applied to it is all that will be required ; but if there is much 
inflammation, it is best to pencil out the lining surface of the canal with 
a strong solution of nitrate of silver, twenty to thirty grains to the ounce 
of water, and it is best done in this way : fill the lower end of the auditory 
canal with a little soft cotton, moistened with oil, to cover and protect the 
membrane of the drum, wet a camel's-hair brush with the solution of the 
nitrate of silver, and introduce it into the auditory canal, and carry it down 
to the pledget of cotton, turn it around once or twice, and remove it. 
Having cauterized the inflamed lining surface of the auditory canal, then 
remove the cotton. This treatment may be repeated as often as necessary 
to effect a cure. In chronic cases, a little diluted ointment of the yellow 



228 



ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 



nitrate of mercury, may be applied by means of a camel's-hair brash to 
the lining surface of the auditory canal, at bedtime, with much advantage. 
In such cases, a little cotton should be worn in the ear when out of 
doors, and exposed much to cold damp winds and inclement weather, and 
it should always be removed when coming into the house. The habit of 
filling the ears with cotton or black sheep's wool, and wearing it constantly 
in the house and outside, is very pernicious. It is much like a man wear- 
ing an overcoat in the house, which greatly increases his liability to take 
cold, &c. when he goes out. 

Membrane of the Drum. 
Fig. 136. 




Anatomy of the Internal Ear. 1 and 2, Auricle; 3, 4, 5, 6, External Auditory Canal; 
9, Membrane of the Drum ; 10, Cavity of the Eustachian Tube ; 11, Cavity of the Drum ; 
13, Semi-Circular Canals ; 16, the Cochlea. 

The membrane of the dram is situated at the lower end of the auditory 
canal, and covers the cavity of the drum, much in the same way that the 
sheepskin covers the head of the common drum, or instrument of music. 
It is composed of two layers, the outside of which is dry like the skin 
covering the body, of which it is a continuation, while the inside layer of 
the membrane of the drum is moist, like the mucous membrane lining the 
nose and throat, of which it is also a continuation. It is nearly round 
and saucer shaped, being slightly concave upon the outside, and convex 
upon the inside surface. It is also exceedingly vascular and sensitive, 
containing numerous blood-vessels and nerves ! 

Sometimes the membrane of the drum of the ear becomes congested, 
red and inflamed, or ulcerated, in consequence of exposure to a cold, damp 



ANATOMY OP THE EAR. 



229 



atmosphere, draughts, &c, causing intense pain and suffering, when the 
disease is called " ear-ache," or myringitis. This is one of the most pain- 
ful of all diseases of the ear, and occurs much more frequently in persons 
of a scrofulous constitution, than among those in good health. Myrin- 
gitis, or inflammation of the membrane of the drum, when neglected, or 
improperly treated, may result in ulceration and perforation of the mem- 
brane, with discharges from the ear, or it may be followed by thickening 
of the membrane, and impaired hearing. 

Treatment. When there is much congestion and inflammation of the 
membrane of the drum, a few leeches should be applied around the ear, 

Fig. 137. 




Examination of the Internal Ear by means of the Speculum and Concave Mirror. 

and to the external orifice of the auditory canal, followed with a brisk 
cathartic, and a low diet. The excruciating pain may generally be relieved 
by the application of a little chloroform on cotton, placed in the mouth of 



230 ANATOMY OP THE EAR. 

the auditory canal, and covered with a tight bandage. When inflamma- 
tion is followed by suppuration, the discharge should be carefully removed 
from the cavity of the auditory canal, by means of a syringe and warm 
soap, or salt and water, followed by the injection of a solution of nitrate 
of silver, containing twenty grains to an ounce of water. Warm, and inject 
a syringefull twice a day. In many chronic cases of long standing, dis- 
charges from the auditory canal may depend upon ulceration of the lining 
surface of the auditory canal, ulceration of the membrane of the dram, 
or perforation and ulceration of the cavity of the dram, polypus, &c. In 
all such cases of long standing, the cavity of the auditory canal, membrane 
of the drum, &c, should be carefully examined by means of the concave 
mirror and the ear speculum, as shown in fig. 137, to ascertain the true 
cause of the disease, and the proper remedy. 

It would be entirely useless to apply medicated washes to the cavity of 
the auditory canal, to arrest discharges depending upon the growth of un- 
healthy granulations, like proud flesh, or the formation of a polypus in the 
cavity of the canal, these causes can only be removed by surgical operations, 
followed by the application of caustic, to prevent their return again. With- 
out the aid of this invaluable instrument, many cases of otorrheas, are treated 
injudiciously for an indefinite period, and finally discharged as incurable, 
that might be most readily cured by judicious, scientific treatment. By 
means of the concave mirror and speculum, the interior #f the auditory 
canal and membrane of the drum are perfectly illuminated, enabling us to 
ascertain the true nature of any disease of the parts, and apply the proper 
remedy. 

Inflammation and ulceration are often followed by thickening of the 
membrane of the drum, and partial deafness. Many old people of a rheum- 
atic constitution are often subject to catarrhal inflammation of the mem- 
brane of the dram, which becomes chronic, and is frequently followed by 
gradual thickening of the membrane of the drum, and impaired hearing. 

Treatment. Opacity or thickening of the membrane of the drum is 
very difficult of removal, and requires much skill and time to effect a cure. 
Much benefit may sometimes be derived from touching the opake portion 
of the thickened membrane with a solution of carbolic acid or nitrate of 
silver or iodine, once or twice a week, and the internal use of alterative 
tonics, such as the syrup of iodide of iron, iodide of potash or Fowler's 
solution of arsenic. Each application of the nitrate of silver, of iodine, 
or carbolic acid, causes the dead thickened cuticle to exfoliate or peel off 
in successive layers, gradually reducing the thickness of the membrane of 
the drum, and restoring the power of hearing. 

The introduction of pungent heating or burning substances into the au- 
ditory canal, filling it with wizzard oil or Harlem oil, or the heart of a 



ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 



231 



roasted onion, black sheep's wool, removed from the right hind or the left 
foreleg, negroes' wool, cut from the head in the " new of the moon" rattle 
snake's oil, and spider's web ointment, fish worms, grease, &c, cannot be 
too severely ridiculed, or too strongly condemned. It is indeed wonderful, 
how many ignorant, credulous and superstitious people will experiment up- 
on, and tamper with their ears, causing a great amount of suffering by the 
most outrageous abuse of the organs of hearing, and often rendering them- 
selves incurably deaf. 

Drum of the Ear. 

The drum of the ear is an irregular shaped cavity, lined with a pale, 
pink colored mucous membrane, which is a continuation of that which lines 
the Eustachian tubes, throat, stomach and intestinal canal. The cavity of 
the drum extends itself, upwards and backwards, through numerous small 

Fig. 138. 




Middle and Internal Ear. A, External Auditory Canal ; B, Membrane of the Drum ; C, Eusta- 
chian Tube; D Mastoid Cells ; E, Cavity of the Drum, containing the Bones of the Ear, called the 
Malleus, with its Head and Long Process resting against the Membrane. 1, Long Process of the Mal- 
leus ; 2, its Short Process ; 3, its Maubrium ; 4, its Body ; 5, its Head, resting against 6, the Incus ; 
7, its Short Process ; 8, its Long Process resting on 9, the Os Arbicularis, resting on 12, the Stapes, 
covering the Foramen ovalis opening into the Labyrinth ; 21, the Foramen Rotundum opening into 
the Cavity of the Cochlea; 20, the Cochlea; 30, 34, 35, the Semi-Circular Canals. 



232 ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 

openings into the mastoid cells, situated in the soft spongy bones of the 
skull, behind the ears, and are also lined with a continuation of the same mu- 
cous membrane lining the cavity of the drum. The mastoid cells resemble 
the empty cells of a piece of honey comb, and serve the purpose of greatly 
increasing the size of the cavity of the drum, and so improving the powers 
of hearing. When the cavity of the drum becomes inflamed and ulcera- 
ted, especially in children of a strumous or scrofulous constitution, the in- 
flammation and ulceration will often extend itself to the mastoid cells, and 
be followed by inflammation and swelling behind the ears, with intense pain 
and great suffering. When neglected or improperly treated, inflammation 
of the mastoid cells, may be followed by suppuration or the formation of 
matter, resulting in caries of the bones, and total deafness. 

Treatment. Apply half a dozen leeches around the ear at once, and 
administer a brisk cathartic, to reduce the local inflammation. 

R. Sulphate of Magnesia, 1 Ounce. 

Tart. Antimony, ....... 1 Grain. 

Citric Acid, 1 Drachm. 

Water, . . 4 Ounces. 

Mix. Take a tablespoonful every hour. 

Apply a warm poultice of pulverized slippery elm bark or ground flax- 
seed, and keep it moist with a teaspoonful of laudanum as often as it be- 
comes dry and hard, as a means of allaying pain, &c. When suppuration 
has taken place, the safety of the powers of hearing demand that free inci- 
sions should be made behind the ears without delay, to allow the accumu- 
lated matter to escape, and prevent by its retention, caries of the bones, and 
destruction of the sense of hearing. 

Fig. 139. The cavity of the drum of the ear con- 

tains four small bones called the malleus, 
or hammer, the incus or anvil, the os arbi- 
* ^^^^^^^l^^^Sk cularis or round bone, and stapes or styrup, 

i 0M^-'-> BBlCf restin g upon each other as seen in the ac- 
lif »)Jr companying illustration. These four bones 

jljle being connected together, like the links 

&r of a chain, one after the other by means 

of very delicate ligaments, are made to 
move upon each other like the bones of our 
Bones of the Ear. to, head of the fingers, by the action of delicate little mus- 

Malleus; g, long process; h, the Man- c J egj f Qr ^ purpose of tightening Or re- 
brium ; sc, short process, of the Incus * . 

ic, its long process, resting upon a, the laxmg the membrane ot the drum, and so 
round Bone ;*, the stapes or styrup. adapting it to the comparative intensity 
of the vibrations of the atmosphere, productive of the greatest variety 




ANATOMY OP THE EAR. 233 

of sounds. The bones of the cavity of the drum also serve the purpose 
of transmitting the vibrations of the atmosphere, which are first received 
upon the membrane of the drum, through the cavity of the drum, into 
the cavity of the labyrinth, containing the nerves of hearing. 

A very simple experiment will at once demonstrate their great import- 
ance for this purpose. Let any one place his ear firmly against the end of 
a long piece of timber, such as the mast of a ship, a hundred feet in length, 
while a friend gently scratches the other end of it, with his finger nail, and at 
once you will hear the sound distinctly. Remove your ear from the end 
of the stick of timber, and stand off one hundred feet, in the opposite di- 
rection, and your friend might scratch the end of his finger nails all off, 
and you could not hear anything. Sound travels through a solid body? 
much more readily than through the medium of the atmospheric air The 
bones of the ear may be destroyed as they often are in ulceration, with 
discharges from the ears, caused by measles or scarlet fever, &c, and 
yet the power of hearing, though much impaired, will not be totally de- 
stroyed. 

The cavity of the drum of the ear also opens into the trumpet shap- 
ed pipe, called the Eustachian tube, which is about an inch in length, 
and gradually enlarges, until it finally opens into the back part of the nose, 
as seen in figs. 134 and 59. The membrane of the drum closes the inter- 
nal extremity of the auditory canal air-tight, so that no air can enter the 
cavity of the drum, except through the cavity of the Eustachian tube. 
This tube is designed to enable a part of the air we breathe to enter the 
cavity of the drum, and to afford an outlet for the removal of mucus and 
other accumulations from the cavity of the drum and mastoid cells. This 
tube serves much the same purpose in connection with the sense of hearing, 
which the round hole does in the wooden side of the common bass drum. 

It is a well known fact, that sound cannot travel through a vacuum, and 
if we close the opening in the side of the bass drum, it will impair its uses, 
and if the Eustachian tube is closed by disease, it will exert a correspond- 
ing influence upon the power of hearing. If we dive under the water, 
while bathing, and remain long below its surface, a part of the water will 
enter the Eustachian tube, through the cavity of the nose, causing a tem- 
porary obstruction of the Eustachian tube, with noises in the ears and 
temporary deafness, &c, which may be quickly relieved by removing the 
water from the cavity of the Eustachian tube, by gently rubbing the side 
of the head and ears, &c. 

Inflammation and Ulceration of the Drum of the Ear. 
In scarlet fever, and other diseases of the mucous membrane lining the 
the throat, the inflammation often extends along the lining surface through 



234 ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 

the Eustachian tube, to the cavity of the drum of the ear, causing inflamma- 
tion of the cavity of the drum of the ear, with pain, noises in the ears, ringing 
in the head, and partial deafness, &c. "When neglected, or improperly treated, 
it will be followed by the formation of matter in the cavity of the drum, 
which cannot escape through the small cavity of the Eustachian tube, and 
so it corrodes the membrane of the drum, until it gives way forming an 
opening for its escape, and establishing a discharge of thick purulent and 
offensive matter, from the ear. This disease is known as " otorrhwa." 
When this discharge is neglected or improperly treated, it will certainly 
result in the gradual decay, and destruction of the bones of the cavity of the 
drum, and the total loss of the sense of hearing. It is probable there are 
more deaf persons in our deaf and dumb asylums from this cause, than 
from all other causes combined. 

Treatment. In recent cases, all that will be required is the administra- 
tion of some good alterative tonic, such as the syrup of the iodide of iron, 
and cleansing the ear several times a day with weak solution of phenic 
acid, glycerin, and water. In cases of long standing, when the discharge 
becomes purulent, and offensive, unhealthy granulations or polypoid tu- 
mors, may shoot up from the lining surface of the cavity of the drum, 
requiring removal, and the parts cauterized with phenic acid, or the nitrate 
of silver, before the discharge can be arrested, and a cure effected. 

Perforation of the Membrane of the Drum. 

In many cases of otorrhoea of long standing, there will be found per- 
forations of the membrane of the drum, which do not heal when the dis- 
charges are arrested. When these openings through the membrane of the 
drum are not too large, they may often be made to heal by carefully touch- 
ing their edges with a fine point of the solid stick of the nitrate of silver. 
If the openings are very large, they may be closed by means of a little 
cotton moistened with glycerin, so as very much to improve the power of 
hearing. The cotton used in this way must be changed as often as once 
a day, otherwise it will become offensive. After a few trials, any person 
will soon learn to prepare and adjust the pledget of cotton against the per- 
foration of the drum, for themselves. 

Many ignorant persons entertain the vulgar idea, that discharges from 
the ears should not be arrested, and that " nature should be allowed to 
take her own course," and that it will finally " cure itself," as we are often 
told. Such advice often reminds us of an idiot, who, when his own house 
was on fire, forbid the firemen from throwing water on it, saying, " let it 
alone, and it will soon stop burning itself, if you will not disturb it !" And 
so it will, as soon as it has consumed all the combustible materials. And 
the same is true of the human ear, in this disease, when we let nature 



ANATOMY OF THE EAR. 235 

take her own course, it will get well itself, and stop discharging, as soon 
as the whole interior of the ear has been consumed by the process of ul- 
ceration, leaving the unfortunate victim of ignorance and folly incurably 

deaf. 

Catarrhal Deafness. 

In many cases of catarrhal inflammation of the mucous membrane lin- 
ing the nose and throat, the disease extends through the Eustachian tube 
to the lining surface of the drum, causing a profuse secretion of mucus 
into the cavity of the drum, obstructing the Eustachian tube, excluding 
air from the cavity of the drum, causing noises in the head, ringing in the 
ears, and a feeling as if the ears were " stopped up," with snapping or 
crackling noises on blowing the nose, or while swallowing with the mouth 
shut, and the nose compressed with the thumb and fingers. This noise is 
produced by the air forced through the Eustachian tube mixing with the 
mucus, obstructing the cavity of the drum. This form of deafness is 
always made worse by exposure to heats and colds, damp air, &c. When 
neglected or improperly treated, it results in gradual thickening of the 
mucous membrane lining the cavity of the drum, and the membrane lining 
the Eustachian tube, reducing the size of its cavity, and finally, exclusion 
of atmospheric air from the cavity of the drum, causing collapse of the 
membrane of the drum, and total deafness ! 

It is much to be regretted, that all of these organic changes may take 
place without any considerable pain, or other warning of the gradual des- 
truction of the sense of hearing. All the knowledge any one can have of 
the disastrous consequences of neglecting this disease, is the gradual, and 
in some instances, almost imperceptible loss of the sense of hearing, with- 
out suspecting what is taking place, until finally they become totally and 
incurably deaf, from organic changes which have taken place in the drum 
of the ear ! 



CURE OF CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 



LECTURE XXIII. 
CUBE OF CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 

Treatment. For the permanent cure of catarrhal deafness we must 
renovate the constitution, and improve the general health. The organs of 
digestion must be invigorated, and the process of nutrition improved by 
the use of light, nourishing and wholesome food, and the use of a good 
tonic and alterative, such as the chlorate, bicarbonate, and iodide of pot- 
ash, taken in milk before each meal, or some of the preparations of iron 
and quinine after eating This course of constitutional treatment will dis- 
solve and remove the mucus from the lining surface of the intestinal canal, 
and greatly improve the general health. The local inflammation of the 
mucous membrane lining the nose and throat, must be removed by the ap- 
plication of gargles, washes, injections and ointments. As a gargle for the 
removal of all accumulations of mucus, nothing will be found more useful 
than a solution of chlorate of potash, or carbolate of soda, when properly 
applied by means of a suitable syringe, as seen in figure 69. It will be 
comparatively useless to undertake to apply any wash or gargle to the lin- 
ing surface of the nose or back part of the throat, by snuffing it up the 
nose, or taking it into the mouth and then throwing the head back, and 
attempting to apply it to the back part of the throat. Let any one exper- 
iment with a glass of water in this way, and he will soon discover that this 
method of washing out the nose or gargling the throat is very imperfect, 
and the result must be equally unsatisfactory in the treatment of any dis- 
ease of these parts. 

Having removed all of the mucus and other accumulations from the 
lining surface of the cavity of the nose and throat, the diseased parts may 
be fumigated with the vapors of iodine, chlorine or phenic acid, by means 
of a good inhaling bottle, see fig. 72. In many instances, especially cases 
of long standing, the mucous membrane lining the nose and throat, Eusta- 
chian tube, and cavity of the drum of the ear, is so congested, inflamed 
and thickened from long continued disease of the parts, that it is with much 
difficulty at the commencement of treatment, that gargles and washes can 
be applied to the inside of the nasal cavities and passages, on account of 
their greatly reduced size. A few judicious applications will soon reduce 
the congestion and swelling of the parts and open the passages and cavi- 
ties, so that this treatment can be more thoroughly applied. Having re- 
moved the disease from the nose and throat, we can then turn our atten- 
tion to the cavity of the Eustachian tube and the drum of the ear. 



Fig. 140. 



CURE OF CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 237 

Various methods and ingenious apparatus have been devised for the purpose 
of opening the Eustachian tube and cleansing out the cavity of the drum 
of the ear. Nothing can be more simple and effective than the aural 
atomizer, seen in fig. 140. 

This simple instrument consists of a hard rubber nose-piece opening in 
the middle, with a cavity sufficiently large to contain a small piece of sponge, 
upon which a few drops of ethereal solution of iodine, or any other pre- 
paration may be dropped, and a bulb containing numerous openings like the 
mouth of a pepper box, designed 
to fit into the nostrils on either 
side of the nose. The hard rub- 
ber nose piece is connected with an 
elastic bag, by means of a few in- 
ches of soft rubber tubing, as seen 
in fig. 140. When the soft rub- 
ber bag is grasped firmly in the 
hand and quickly compressed with 
sufficient force, the air contained 
in the elastic bag is forced out 
through the sponge, containing a 
few drops of any medicated solu- 
tion, converting it into a fine spray 
which escapes through numerous 
openings seen in the bulb of the 
nose piece. Make a solution con- 
taining two grains of iodine and 
two grains of iodide of potash in 
one ounce sulphuric ether. Drop 
ten to twenty drops of this solu- 
tion in the sponge contained in 

, . _ , , . ., Aural Atomizer. Consisting of a soft rubber bag 

the cavity ot the hard rubber nose and pipe> witn a hard rubber chamber containing a 

piece. Having given the patient P iece ot sponge, to receive tbe medicine to be ap- 
,i/i i /• \ "L* i. i. • plied to the Cavity of the Eustachian tube, and 

a mouthtul of water, which he is * . „ mtx ^ nmm ^ mA ' ni M + „ fi * ,. +ft «, A .* 

' with a perforated nose piece to fit into the Cavity 

directed to retain in his mouth un- of the Nose. 

til he is told to swallow it. You will next introduce the bulb of the nose 
piece into one side of the nose, while the elastic air bag is held firmly in 
your right hand, and when all is ready close the other side of the nose by 
gentle pressure with the thumb and finger, at the same time telling the 
patient to swallow, while at the same instant you quickly compress the 
elastic air bag, and so force the medicated spray through the Eustachian 
tube into the cavity of the drum of the ear. "When there is disease in 
both ears this operation should be repeated on the other side, or through 
16 




238 CURE OP CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 

the other side of the nose. This operation causes no pain, and after a few 
trials most persons can perform it upon themselves as often as required. 
It should be repeated once a day in the evening. The instrument may be 

Fig. 141. 




used without any medicine once or twice a day to free the Eustachian tube, 
and remove accumulations of mucus, &c. It is also of great value in the 
treatment of catarrhal affections of the drum of the ear, to keep the Eusta- 
chian tube open and free, to prevent contraction and adhesive inflamma- 
tion and consequent closure or obliteration of its cavity. In chronic 
cases of long standing this treatment must often be continued for several 
months before a cure is finally effected. Formerly catarrhal deafness was 
regarded as incurable, but since the anatomy of the ear and its diseases 
have become better understood, and the means of treatment improved, such 
cases are often restored to perfect hearing. 

In persons of a scrofulous constitution much benefit may often be deri- 
ved from the application of vessicating fluid behind the ears, once or twice 
a week, followed by the application of mercurial ointment. 



CURE OP CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 




Fig. 142. 
The Labyrinth. 

The cavity of the drum of 
the ear opens into the cavity of 
the labyrinth through the open- 
ing called the foramen ovalis 
and the foramen rotundum. 

The labyrinth is divided into 
the vestibule, through which 
the nerves of hearing enter its 
cavity, the semi-circular canals 
and the cochlea. It contains a 
peculiar jelly like fluid, called 
the endolymph, into which the 
auditory nerves are distributed, 
as seen in the accompanying il- 
lustration. 

It will be noticed that the 
semicircular canals stand at 
right angles with each other, 
like the four points of a com- 
pass, and are supposed to en- 
able us to determine the direc- 
tion of sounds. When the laby- 
rinthine branches of the auditory nerves become diseased or paralyzed, 
though we can still hear, we cannot tell the direction of sound. 

The cochlea is so named, from its fancied resemblance to a conch shell. 
It is filled with a jelly like fluid, and contains another branch of the au- 
ditory nerve supposed to be useful to enable us to determine the volume, 
pitch, tune, and other qualities of sound, &c. When this branch of the 
auditory nerve becomes diseased or paralyzed, we cannot determine the 
volume, pitch and pther qualities of sound, or keep time with others, while 
reading, singing, &c. Listen to the music in almost any large church 
where all the congregation join in the singing, and we shall nearly always 
discover some who labor under this infirmity, and whose efforts to keep 
time with the rest are all in vain. 

The Auditory Nerves. 

The nerves of hearing come off from the auditory ganglia, at the base 
of the brain, and passing through the internal auditory canal, enter the 
labyrinth through the vestibule, when they divide into several branches 
which enter the cochlea and semicircular canals, as seen in fig. 142. 



View of the Labyrinth in an inverted position laid open 
so as to show. the disposition of the Nerves of Hearing. 
1, 2, 3, the Cochlea laid open, exhibiting the Lamina 
Spiralis ; 4, 5, 6, shows the Parietes of the Cochlea, 
partly cnt away, to show the Nerve inside ; 7, 8, the 
position of the Vestibule ; 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, shows 
the Semicular Canals, partly cut away, showing the 
distribution of other branches of the Nerve of Hearing ; 
15, shows the Auditory Nerve dividing into the branch- 
es, going to the Cochlea, and the Semicircular Canals, 



240 cuke op catarrhal deafness. 

Nervous Deafness. 

Nervous deafness is sometimes caused by inflammation of the cavity of 
the labyrinth, or by concussion of the base of the brain, from a blow, or other 
injury, or from fevers, the abuse of quinine, or the inordinate habitual use of 
tobacco and other narcotics, &c. Paralysis of the nerves of hearing may 
also be produced from brain fever, or from " cerebro spinal meningitis," 
many instances of which occurred in the coal region of Pennsylvania, dur- 
ing the winter of 1862, and which have all proven incurable. 
General Remarks. 

From what has been written it will be observed, that deafness is almost 
always the result of inflammation, attacking some one of the parts concern- 
ed in manifesting the sense of hearing. When these parts become dis- 
eased, they cannot manifest their peculiar functions, and the sense of hear- 
ing will be impaired just in proportion to their relative importance. The 
fact that any one discovers himself becoming a little deaf, should at once 
excite alarm, and indicate the nature of the cause of the difficulty, and 
suggest the best means to remove it, before it is too late. 

All deaf persons when they first discover their infirmity, should care- 
fully avoid exposing themselves to the injurious influence of sudden 
changes of temperature, more especially sitting in a draught, or at an open 
window, or in damp cellars, or badly ventilated rooms, &c. When out in 
the cold damp air, they should protect their ears with a little clean soft 
cotton, and always remove it when they enter a warm room. Such persons 
should bathe the skin over the shoulders, neck and throat systematically, 
every morning with cool salt and water, wipe dry and rub vigorously, to 
diminish the tenderness and impressibility of their skins, and their liability 
to take cold, &c. In all cases of deafness, caused by inflammation of the 
parts concerned in hearing, it is well known that every cold will always 
increase the disease, and for this reason, deaf persons must use every means 
of avoiding colds, &c, or they will gradually grow worse, until they finally 

become totally deaf. 

Deafness from Old Age. 

Many old people who are totally deaf, may be' seen on every hand, who 
from imprudence, caught cold, followed by slight inflammation of the mu- 
cous membrane lining the nose, throat, drum of the ear, &c, with noises 
in the head, which they continue to neglect, until finally, after repeated 
colds, they became more and more deaf, and at last, their hearing was to- 
tally destroyed. When such cases are carefully examined, it will not be 
found, as is generally supposed, that their deafness depends upon old age, 
and its infirmities, but that it is the result of chronic inflammation, which 
was neglected of improperly treated, and which has resulted in gradual thick- 



CURE OF CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 241 

ening of the membrane of the drum, closure of the Eustachian tube, col- 
lapse of the drum, &c, which at the proper time, might easily have been 
cured, but which, alas ! has become incurable, on account of the disorganiza- 
tion of the apparatus concerned in the manifestation of the sense of hearing. 

The human ear is a delicate organ, and it will not bear neglect, when 
diseased, any more than it will bear unwise, injudicious treatment, by med- 
dlesome quacks, who fancy that deafness is deafness, and that deafness is 
a disease, and consequently, what will cure deafness in one person will cure 
all cases in all persons. Now, it has been shown by what has been said, 
that there is no disease called deafness ! There are many diseases of all 
the different parts of the apparatus concerned in hearing, which will ren- 
der people deaf, and when these diseased conditions are removed, by judi- 
cious treatment, hearing will be restored. 

There are some thirty-two different diseases of the organs concerned in 
hearing, which will render people deaf. One person may be deaf from 
inflammation of the auditory canal, another from ulceration of the audit- 
ory canal, or the formation of a polypus, or from the accumulation of 
cerumen, or contraction of the canal, from inflammation of the membrane 
of the drum, ulceration of the membrane, opacity of the membrane, per- 
foration of the membrane, inflammation of the cavity of the drum, or 
mastoid cells, ulceration of the cavity of the drum, thickening of its lining 
surface, accumulation of mucus in the cavity of the drum, ulceration of 
the mastoid cells, inflammation of the cavity of the Eustachian tube, ob- 
struction of the cavity of the Eustachian tube, obliteration of the cavity 
of this tube, inflammation of the nose and throat, enlargement of the ton- 
sils, diseases of the auditory nerves, &c. 

Now, all of these various diseases, causing deafness, require different 
treatment for the restoration of the sense of hearing, and unfortunately, 
those remedies best adapted to the removal of one cause of deafness will 
injure another one, and there is no safely in the use of nostrums or cure- 
alls, but very great danger of doing more harm than good. Far better 
use no treatment >t all, than blindly experiment upon the human ear, when 
in a diseased condition. The wisest, and only safe course, is to consult 
some intelligent and competent physician, who has made these diseases, 
and their treatment, a special study. 

Cultivation of the Sense of Hearing. 

The human ear, like all the other organs of the body, is susceptible of 
wonderful cultivation and improvement. Sound is a powerful stimulant 
of the auditory ganglia, increasing the flow of blood into the base of the 
brain, rapidly increasing its size and power. 

This fact is well understood, and practically applied in the treatment of 
various nervous diseases, and in the cure of insanity. In congestion and 



242 CTJRE OF CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 

inflammation of the brain, insanity, brain fever, &c, noise and excite- 
ment is painful and injurious, causing an increased flow of blood into the 
brain, which is already congested or inflamed, and so increases or per- 
petuates the disease. Such persons require rest, and freedom from all 
noise and excitement, in order that the congestion and inflammation of the 
brain may subside, and recovery take place. It is for this reason, when a 
person has brain fever, it is customary to cover the pavement with tan- 
bark, to diminish the noise caused by passing carriages ! 

When the apparatus concerned in hearing is called into use, while lis- 
tening to various sounds, more blood flows into it than when at rest, culti- 
vating and strengthening all of its various parts, and improving tbe sense 
of hearing. Itard of Paris and others, have advised those who are par- 
tially deaf from weakness or imperfect development of the auditory nerves, 
to cultivate them by listening to various sounds attentively, particularly the 
sound of the human voice, and as a means of securing perfect attention 
and the best results, taking notes of what they listen to. A large pro- 
portion of mankind are incapable of hearing perfectly, simply for want of 
suflicient cultivation and development of the nerves of hearing. 

THE MUSIC OF NATURE. 

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank ! 
Here will we sit and let the sounds of music 
Creep in our ears ; soft stillness and night 
Become the touches of sweet harmony. 
Sit, lov'd one ; look how the floor of heaven 
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold. 
There's not the smallest orb, which thou behold'st, 
But in his motion like an angel sings, 
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubim ; 
Such harmony is in immortal souls ; 
But, whilst this muddy vesture of decay 
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it 

Many of the most distinguished poets have assigned to music the most 
extraordinary powers over the mind and hearts of men. Shakespeare rep- 
resented it as having " power to soften rocks and bend the knotted oak." By 
its matchless influence, Orpheus with his wonderful lyre, was enabled to 
charm even Satan himself, so that by its aid he descended into the regions 
below, and released his beloved Eurydice from her captivity. 

Dryden in his beautiful poem "the Feast of Alexander," has made mu- 
sic animate the heart of the warrior, with the greatest variety of sensations 
and emotions. 

But recently our whole nation was arroused while listening to the spirit 
stirring strains of the fife and drum, and girding on her armor "kept time 
to the music of the union." What different thoughts, sensations and emo- 



CURE OP CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 243 

tions will animate our minds and hearts as we listen to the varied strains 
of music. What sad and solemn emotions, will pervade our minds and fill 
our hearts, as we listen to the sad wails of the funeral dirge ; and we bow 
our heads in sorrow, and our eyes are filled with tears as the bier passes by 
carrying the loved ones to their last repose. When music peals forth its 
liveliest notes, with what different thoughts, feelings and emotions it will 
animate our minds and hearts, in scenes of joy and festivity, and our feet 
move so merrily in the mazes of the dance. But again, when music once 
more varies its tones, and we listen to the inspiring strains of the grand 
old organ as they come swelling up the aisles and arches of the vast cathe- 
dral, our minds and hearts are filled with admiration and love, and we bow 
our heads in reverence for the great supreme being who rules the mighty 
universe. 

Verily music hath power to "soften rocks and to bend the knotted oak/' 
and when it is seen to exert such a powerful influence over the thoughts, 
mind, feelings and emotions of the sternest and rudest of mankind, what 
must be its influence upon the brain and nerves, the mind and heart of a 
young and tender child ? I now allude to what must be the disastrous 
consequences, resulting from the confinement of a young and delicate girl, 
to the keys of a piano, like a galley slave to the oar, for four or six hours 
out of every twenty-four. Is it to be wondered at that such girls grow 
up pale, sickly, nervous, and excitable women, ready to scream in terror at 
the sight of a mouse, or go into a fit of hysterics, at the sight of a spider, 
alternately laughing and then crying several times in one minute, according 
to the ever varying sensations and emotions, which animate their minds 
and hearts? When their exquisitely impressionable natures are thrilled 
with music, they are lost in transports of joy and happiness; but alas, as soon 
as its animating strains have died away, it will be quickly followed by a 
dreadful reaction; and by a period of gloom, sorrow and wretchedness, which 
have often led to suicide. Many of our most gifted professional musi- 
cians have ended their miserable, wretched and unhappy lives in this way. 
But this is the abuse, and not the legitimate use of music. When this 
concord of sweet sounds is used legitimately, it is capable of being rendered 
one of the greatest blessings of life, and when it is abused, one of the 
greatest curses. Indeed we are often reminded by the votaries of music, 
of the story of an epicure, who having tasted honey discovered it was very 
sweet, and so imprudently concluded that he would not eat anything but 
honey; and then having dicovered that champagne tasted like nectar, con- 
cluded he would drink no other fluid; and so in a short time, the epicure 
died a miserable dyspeptic. Now this world is full of musical dyspeptics, 
with nerves all unstrung, the creatures of emotion and excitement, subject 
to periods of terrible melancholy and despair, and finally dying prematurely 
of debility and exhaustion. 



244 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



LECTURE XXIV. 
THE OEGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

When we remove the skin from the human body we shall not come at 
Fig. 143. once in contact with the mus- 

cles, but with a layer of fat 
placed beneath the skin and 
outside of the muscular sys- 
tem. This layer of fat serves 
two or three most important 
purposes during life. In the 
first place fat is a good non- 
conductor of heat, and sub- 
serves all of the purposes of 
clothing to protect the vital 
organs in the great cavities 
of the body, from the injur- 
rious influences of sudden 
changes of temperature, &c. 
Again this layer of adipose 
or fatty matter dips down 
between the tendons of the 
muscles, and oils, and lubri- 
cates them, so as to diminish 
friction, and facilitate their 
action. It also fills up the 
interstices or grooves, be- 
tween the muscles, and gives 
us the plump, round, and 
smooth surface of the body, 
so characteristic of the cheek 
of infancy. As we advance in life this fatty matter is gradually absorbed from 
between the muscles, allowing the skin to sink down into these grooves, 
producing those wrinkles so indicative of coming age. Could we discover 
any method of preventing the gradual absorption of this adipose substance, 
from between the muscles, then we could preserve the plump, round and 
smooth appearance of youth, and might successfully, bid defiance to the 
foot prints of time. 




Hercules resting upon his club after slaying the 
Numidian Lion. 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



245 



The organs of locomo- Fig. 144. 

tion, consist of about two 
hundred and eight bones, 
which form the frame- 
work of the human body, 
and about four hundred 
and seventy muscles. The 
bones are composed of 
cartilaginous or gristly 
matter, to give them elas- 
ticity, and limy material, 
or bone earth, to give 
them firmness and solid- 
ity. This cartilaginous 
matter, which enters into 
the composition of the 
bones, predominates in in- 
fancy, rendering the long 
bones and ribs of an infant 
almost as elastic and flex- 
ble, as a piece of soft rub- 
ber; so that we can tie a 
knot in one of them, with- 
out breaking it. This 
wonderful provision of 
nature, renders it almost 
impossible to break the 
bones of an infant, and 
serves to protect them 
from injury ; from falls and 
accidents, which would in- 
stantly prove fatal to old 
age ! If the diet of child- 
ren is deficient in gluten, 
of which a large propor- 
tion is contained in un- 
bolted wheat flour, then 
the bones become frail and brittle, producing that disease of the bones, 
called " rickets," depending upon a deficiency of animal matter, or gelatin, 
in their composition. Such children require a diet composed of milk and 
wheat bread, for the cure of this disease of the bones. But again, if the 
diet is deficient in the carbonates and phosphates of lime, then the bones 




Front View of the Human Skeleton, with faint outlines 
Bhowing the position of the muscles and skin. 



246 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



will become soft and flexi- 
ible, and easily bent and 
deformed, causing "bow- 
legs/' deficient and inferior 
teeth, inability to stand and 
walk, &c. Such children 
require a diet of good, sweet 
milk, coarse wheat bread, 
mush, &c, abounding in the 
carbonate and phosphate of 
lime, which form the bone 
earth, or solid materials of 
the bones, teeth, &c. It is 
often noticed, that children 
fed on fine flour bread and 
cakes, which are deficient 
in these earthy carbonates 
and phosphates, have infe- 
rior teeth, and that they 
decay early ! 

The polished extremities 
of the bones are covered 
with soft, elastic cartilagi- 
nous cushions, designed to 
lessen the effect of shocks 
and jars upon the delicate 
brain and nerves, &c. The 
ends of the bones are unit- 
ed together at the joints, 
by means of numerous pearl 
colored, inelastic bands, call- 
ed ligaments. The cavities 
of the joints are lined with 
a delicate synovial mem- 
brane, which secretes a fluid 
called the "joint water" or 
synoval fluid, which is designed to lubricate the ends of the bones, and 
prevent friction, irritation, and inflammation, when the joints are called 
into use, during life. Sometimes the cavities of the joints become inflamed, 
from strains, or accidental injury; or from rheumatism, or gout, when the 
synovial membrane pours out large quantities of fluid, causing enlargement 
and dropsy of the joints, &c. When this inflammation of the synovial 




Back View of the Human Skeleton, with faint Outlines, 
showing the position of the Muscles and Skin. 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 247 

membrane lining the joints is neglected, or improperly treated, it may re- 
sult in the effusion of plastic lymph, and the formation of hard, strong 
bands, inside of the joint, with thickening of the capsular ligaments around 
the joint, causing stiffness, loss of motion, &c. 

Treatment. To remove inflammation of the cavity of the joints, rest 
is indispensable. Keep the limb well elevated, and the joint at rest. Cover 
the inflamed joint with flannel, wet with spirit lotion or alcohol and water, 
to which may be added a little tincture of stramonium or belladonna, al- 
cohol, four ounces, water four ounces, and tincture of stramonium, one 
ounce. Mix. Keep the flannel covering the inflamed joint wet with this 
lotion, as the best means of ar- -p IG> 14g 

resting the pain, and removing 
the inflammation. When in- 
flammation of the joint is the 
result of gout or rheumatism, 
then it will be necessary to re- 
move the acidity of the blood, 
which is the cause of these dis- 
eases, by the use of alkalies, 
combined with colchicum, taken 
internally. When the joints 
become stiff from inflamma- 
tion of the synovial membrane 
lining the cavity of the joints, 
or from contraction of the liga- 
ments around the joints or the 
muscles and tendons, and there 
is any motion however slight, 
the contracted cords may be di- 
vided, and by proper mechani- 
cal treatment the motions of the 
joint may be gradually increas- 
ed, and the stiffness cured. 

When there is true bony an- 
chylosis, and the extremities of 
the bones have united or grown 
together within the cavity of 
the joint, there will be no mo- 
tion. Thus the limb is nearly 
straight, in true, bony anchylosis, with no motion, nothing can be done. 
But if the limb is crooked at, or nearly at, a right angle, and the toes 
do not touch the ground, so that it can be used to walk on, it can be straight- 




Mechacical instruments applied for the cure of a 
Crooked and Stiff Knee joint. The screxo behind the 
Knee bends and straightens it at will. 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



248 

ened by removing a wedge-shaped piece of bone above the knee, and then 
carefully straightening the leg, and treating it as an ordinary fracture or 
broken bone, by confining it in splints, and keeping it at rest, until recovery 
takes place. 

Sometimes the joints are attacked with strumous or scrofulous inflamma- 
tion, causing enlargement of the bones of the joint, &c. When such dis- 
eases are neglected or improperly treated, this inflammation of the ends of 
the bones, may be followed by ulceration and decay of the bone, with a free 
discharge of matter from numerous openings in the vicinity of the joint, 
which gradually waste and wear away the constitution and strength of the 
patient, until death is caused by exhaustion. 

Fig. 147. Formerly such limbs were 

cut off" and thrown away, mu- 
tilating the body for life, or 
substituting an artificial for 
a natural limb. Artificial 
limbs are no doubt better 
than no limb at all, but al- 
most any kind of a natural 
limb that is in a healthy con- 
dition, is infinitely better 
than an artificial one. 

Instead of sacrificing such 
limbs to save the life of the 
patient, as was formerly done, 
good surgeons now lay open 
the joint, and raise up and 
remove the diseased ends of 
the bones, as shown in the 
accompanying illustration, 
representing a section of the bones of the arm at the shoulder joint. As 
soon as the diseased ends of the bones have been removed, the cavity is 
carefully washed out with a weak solution of carbolic acid and water, con- 
taining one part of acid to one hundred of water, then the soft parts are 
carefully brought together and confined in their places by adhesive straps, 
and the wound is covered with lint, saturated in colloid styptic, to exclude 
the air, and prevent pain and suppuration, or the formation of matter. The 
healing usually takes place rapidly, the rough cut ends of the bones being 
rounded off, and the motions of the joint restored. Care should be taken 
to facilitate the formation of an artificial joint, by moving the limb freely, 
after the inflammation, following the operation, subsides. 

In all cases of false anchylosis, when the ends of the bones have not 




Resection of the Shoulder Joint for the cure of Scrofulous 
Ulceration of the ends of the Bones, and loss of motion. 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



249 




united, and when the ligaments around the joint and the tendons of the 
muscles, are principally involved, and shortened, crooking the limb, and 
restricting its motions, the stiffness at Fig. 148. 

the joint may be cured by the subcuta- 
neous division of the tendons, which are 
at fault, and the application of Strom- 
eyr's splint, as seen in the accompanying 
illustration, representing the mechani- 
cal treatment of false anchylosis of the 
elbow joint. By turning the screw in 
front of the instrument the arm may be 
bent or flexed, and straightened alter- 
nately, until all of the stiffness is finally 

overcome. in y 

The Muscles. 
The muscles are composed of a bun- 
dle of parallel strips, called muscular 
fibres, each one of which is not more than the one four-hundredth part of 
an inch in diameter, and is surrounded with a delicate sheath of cellular 
membrane. When we place one of these small fibres beneath a powerful 
microscope, we shall observe, that each fibre is also subdivided into a great 
multitude of still smaller strips, called muscular fibriUa, and which are not 
more than one twenty-three thousandth part of an inch in diameter. The 
sheaths or coats of these fibres and fibrilla, are all united at the ends of the 
muscles, forming dense hard cords, called the sinews or tendons, which fasten 
the ends of the muscles to the bones. 

Each muscle receives 
one or more branches of 
nerves, from the anterior 
column of the spinal cord, 
called the "motor tract," 
endowing them with that 
peculiar property, called 
muscular contractibility , 
enabling us by a mere ef- 
fort of the human will, to 
call them into action, and 
so guide, regulate and control, all of the different movements of the body 
during life. 

The muscles are arranged upon the bones, much in the same way that the 
ropes are arranged upon the masts, yards and spars of a ship, enabling the 
sailor, by pulling these ropes, to spread his sails and drive the noble vessel 



Fig. 149. 




Muscles which move the Arm, and the Elbow Joint. When 
the Biceps contracts or shortens Itself, it bends the Arm at 
the Elbow, and when th« Triceps contracts it extends or 
straightens it. 



250 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



through the bosom of the ocean. 
Fig. 150. 




Front View of the Muscles of the Face, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 
Muscles of the Neck, 9 ; Muscles of the Shoulder, 10 ; Muscles 
of the Chest, 11 ; Side, 12 ; Arm, 14, 15 ; Forearm, 16, 17, 18, 
19 ; Annular Ligament, 20 ; Muscles of the Hand, 21 ; Muscles 
of the Abdomen, 22 Muscles of the Thigh, 23, 24, 25 ; Muscles 
of the Leg 27 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ; Annular Ligaments, 35 ; 
Muscles of the Toes, 36. 



It is by the agency of these numerous 
bones and muscles, that 
we are enabled to pro- 
duce all of the different 
movements of our bodies. 
By their agency the far- 
mer pursues his plough, 
the mechanic plies his 
hammer upon the anvil, 
the statesman wields his 
pen, and the orator pours 
forth his thoughts in 
words of burning elo- 
quence. They are inti- 
mately connected with all 
our pleasures, pastimes, 
business and pursuits in 
life, and as such, their 
study must be invested 
with peculiar interest and 
the greatest importance. 



Muscles of the 
Chest. 

The muscles of the 
chest and abdomen, as 
seen in the accompany- 
ing illustration, are ar- 
ranged in layers, one be- 
neath the other. These 
upon the chest are known 
as the pectoral muscles; 
11, extending from the 
anterior walls of the chest 
to the bones of the arm, a 
little below the shoulder 
joint, and are designed to 
draw the shoulders for- 
ward upon the chest, and 
are very useful in certain 
kinds of mechanical labor 

When these 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 251 

are called into use or exercise, while engaged at various kinds of mechanical 
work, larger quantities of blood is sent to them, improving their nutrition, 
and rapidly increasing their size and power. When these muscles are exer- 
cised more than those on the other side of the chest, which draw the 
shoulders backwards towards the spine, they will become much the largest 
and strongest, and so draw the shoulders forward permanently ; producing 
round shoulders and stooping figure, so destructive of grace and beauty of 
the human form, and so unfavorable to health, strength, and long life ! 

On the posterior side of the chest we shall discover several beautiful 
muscles, which extend from the shoulder blades, or scapula, to the spine, 
called the trapezius, rhomboideus, &c, which are designed to draw the 
shoulders backwards towards the spine, and elevate the head, &c. These 
muscles are nature's own shoulder braces, and when well cultivated and 
developed, they draw our shoulders well back off the chest, elevate the 
head, and add dignity and beauty to the expression of the human form ! 
All of the muscles upon the anterior and posterior walls of the chest, 
may be thoroughly cultivated, and wonderfully developed and strength- 
ened, by rowing, fencing, dumb-bell, club, and other gymnastic exercises, 
bestowing upon the human figure all of that matchless grace, and beauty 
of form and expression, which is seen in the Apollo Belvidere ! 

The ascending and descending oblique, the straight and transverse mus- 
cles of the abdomen, are seen to form thick, strong elastic walls, for the 
protection of the stomach, liver, intestines, &c. These muscles form a thick, 
strong, elastic belt, designed to hold up und retain the stomach, liver, and 
intestinal canal, in their proper places. They are nature's own " abdominal 
supporters," and in their mechanical construction and action, are superior 
to anything ever yet invented by human ingenuity, and do not cost half 
as much ! When they are properly exercised, and well developed, they 
will afford the most efficient support to the organs in the cavity of the 
abdomen, retaining these organs in their proper places, and preventing 
them from being prolapsed or forced down out of their proper positions. 
When they are well developed by proper exercise, they are not only 
useful for the purpose before mentioned, but they largely contribute to 
preserve the natural grace, elegance and beauty of the human form. 

These muscles of the walls of the abdomen, like all of the other muscles 
of the human body, may be rapidly reduced in size and power by long con- 
tinued pressure. Indeed it is a general physiological law, that " pressure 
stimulates the absorbents" and rapidly reduces the size and power of any 
part of our bodies, submitted to its withering influence. By long contin- 
ued pressure alone, it is possible to remove the nose from the face, or 
any limb from the body, without the loss of a single drop of blood. 
Fasten a string or ligature tight around the limb or finger to-day, and 



252 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



make it a little tighter to-morrow, and gradually and slowly increase the 
Fig. 151. tightness and pressure of the ligature, day 

by day, and how soon it will form a deep 
crease, and this will become deeper and 
deeper, every day, until the limb or the 
finger will drop off from the body ! 

When the dress worn by any lady is long 
waisted, and lined with inelastic materials, 
filled with whalebones, and hickory wood; 
and when the under-clothing is fastened 
around the waist, and its whole weight is 
allowed to drag the clothing down, until it 
becomes so tight it can drag down no further; 
the pressure will soon cause the absorption 
of the muscles of the abdomen, rapidly de- 
creasing their size, and power, causing great 
relaxation, and weakness of these natural 
supports of the contents of the abdomen, 
causing prolapsus of the stomach, liver, in- 
testines, bladder, and uterus, producing the 
most disastrous results ! as seen in fig. 152, 
showing great weakness and relaxation of 
the muscular walls of the abdomen ; caused 
by a long-waisted dress, and fastening the 
under-clothing around the waist, and allow- 
ing it to drag down by its own weight, al- 
tering the shape of the body; elongating 
the waist, and displacing the stomach, liver, 
intestines, bladder, uterus, &c. ; causing pains 
in the side, constipation, disease of the blad- 
der, uterus, &c, with a long and frightful 
catalogue of evils, which no language is ade- 
quate to describe, and which few invalids 
can understand ! How absurd and ridicu- 

Outline of the human form, repre- j oug ^ jg for persons to dreSS themselves in 

eentmg the Muscles of the Abdomen, # x 

well developed, retaining the organs this way, and then roll up their eyes, and 
of the Abdomen, in their proper places. comp i a i n f the side-ache, and such wretch- 
ed, weary, " dragging down feelings" especially when required to stand 
and walk during the day ! Many people, who dress in this foolish and 
absurd fashion, absurdly fancy that their exhaustion, and weary, wretched 
feelings, are caused by hard work, and " over doing," as they term it, and 




THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 253 

there are plenty of silly doctors who will tell them so, and advise them to 
wear corsets to cure it ! 

All such feelings of weakness, and exhaus- 
tion, will disappear, as if by the influence 
of magic, by removing the weight of the 
clothing from the abdomen, and suspending- 
ing it upon the shoulders, which were de- 
signed by nature to carry it. This may be 
easily done by using an under-vest, like the 
one shown in fig. 101 ; or by the use of 
short straps, fastened upon the under-cloth- 
ing, and wearing a short- waisted dress, with- 
out whalebones, &c. 

If the muscles of the abdomen have be- 
come relaxed, debilitated, soft and pendu- 
lous, and do not afford the proper support 
to the organs contained in its cavity, instead 
of resorting to supporters, and other out- 
rageous mechanical contrivances, cultivate 
and strengthen these muscles, which nature 
has provided for this purpose. This may 
be successfully accomplished by placing a 
chair within a few inches of the side of a 
room, and then kneeling upon the seat of 
the chair, with the soles of both feet rest- 
ing flat against the side of the room, and 
leaning well forward, with the hands resting 
upon the back of another chair, or the hands 
of an assistant, for a few moments, three or 
four times a day. This position of the body, 
as any one will soon ascertain, who tries it, 
will call all of the muscles of the walls of 
the abdomen into vigorous contraction, caus- 
ing an increased flow of blood into their de- 
bilitated and shrivelled fibres, which will 
soon be followed by increased power, and 
additional grace and beauty of the human 
form. This simple system of gymnastic 
exercise may be followed by vigorous friction, and kneading of the walls 
of the abdomen with the hands, as by far the most efficient means of re- 
invigorating the relaxed and debilitated walls of the abdomen, with dis- 
placement of all the internal organs of the body. 
17 




Outline of the human form, repre- 
senting the Muscles of the Abdomen 
weakened and relaxed, with prolapsus 
of all of the organs in the Cavity of 
the Abdomen, &c. 



254 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



Muscles op the 

Spine. 
The spine is composed 
of twenty-four bones, 
called the spinal verte- 
brae, with numerous 
soft elastic cartilaginous 
cushions placed between 
them, and all bound toge- 
ther by numerous pearl 
colored inelastic bands, 
called spinal ligaments. 
There are about twen- 
ty-eight muscles ar- 
ranged upon the bones 
of the spine, called the 
spinal muscles. Only 
a few of the superficial 
spinal muscles are ex- 
hibited in the accompa- 
nying illustration. 

When all of the bones, 
ligaments and muscles 
of the spine are well de- 
veloped, by suitable ex- 
ercise and training, they 
will become large, strong 
graceful and beautiful, 
forming a spine combi- 
ning great strength with 
wonderful flexibility. 
When we stand square 
upon both feet, and 
bend the body well for- 
ward until we can touch 
the floor, then bend it to the right, and again to the left, then backwards, 
then twist it around to the right, and then again to the left, we shall, by 
virtue of these movements, call all of these muscles of the spine into vigor- 
ous use, and greatly increase the quantity of blood which circulates into 
them, rapidly enlarging their size, and greatly increasing their power, and 
promoting the health, strength, grace and beauty of the human form. 




Muscles of the Spine, Arms and Legs. 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 255 

To enable us to exercise, develop and strengthen all of the muscles of 
the spine, the whole weight of our dress must be suspended upon the shoul- 
ders, and hang loose around the waist, so as not to interfere with the free- 
est and most perfect action of the muscles of the spine. Many people 
dress the chest and waist so tight, that it is utterly impossible for them to 
bend the body forward so they can touch the floor with the ends of their 
fiogers, without danger of rupturing a blood vessel, or producing apoplexy 
and sudden death. "When any amiable and beautiful young lady, who is 
dressed according to the prevailing fashion, has dropped her pocket-hand- 
kerchief, it is considered a mark of politeness for a gentleman to stoop and 
pick it up for her, simply because it is dangerous for any lady to stoop 
and pick it up for herself. Now, if any gentleman wishes to be extremely 
rude and impolite to any unfortunate lady, who has accidentally dropped 
her handkerchief, and allows her to pick it up herself, will she bend her 
spine while she stoops to do so, ah ! no ! she dare not do that ! for she knows 
the danger of doing so ; for when she bends her body ever so little, her 
eyes stick out like cups and saucers, while she gasps for breath. "When 
compelled to pick up her handkerchief, she never bends her spine and 
stoops to the work, but she sits down, or rather "squats" to do it, in order 
to avoid the danger of apoplexy and death. 

Disease of the Spine. 

There are several varieties of disease and deformities of the spine, such 
as spinal neuralgia, spinal rheumatism, caries of the spine, curvature of the 
spine, &c. Spinal irritation, neuralgia and rheumatism are caused by in- 
digestion. When the food we eat is not promptly digested and converted 
into nutriment, to repair the wear and waste of every organ of the body, 
it will ferment in the cavity of the stomach and intestinal canal, filling the 
stomach with gas and poisonous acids, which are soon absorbed into the 
blood, filling it with lactic or lithic acids, which when sent to the brain, 
nerves and muscles, poison and irritate them, causing them to become ten- 
der, sore and irritable, producing the diseases called neuralgia and rheum- 
atism. When lithie acid is accumulated in the blood, it is often sent to the 
joints, especially those of the feet, causing them to swell and become pain- 
ful, producing the disease called "gout." Neuralgia, rheumatism and gout 
are diseases of the blood, produced by fermentation of our food, and its 
conversion into poisonous acids, as already described. When the spinal 
cord, or the bones and muscles of the spine become sore, tender and irrita- 
ble from this cause, and we remain perfectly quiet, we are comparatively 
free from pain, but when we begin to use these tender, sore and irritable 
muscles and nerves, the pain is often most exquisite, and the suffering very 
great. 



256 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



Treatment. It is very evident that for the cure of "spinal irritation," 
"spinal neuralgia," " spinal rheumatism," "lumbago," &c., we must remove 
the cause which produces these diseases, that is, we must arrest the fermen- 
tation of the food in the intestinal canal, and its conversion into lactic and 
lithic acids, &c. This can only be accomplished by careful regulation of the 
diet, avoiding the use of those kinds of food which most readily ferment, 
such as sugar, starch, and those kinds of food which contain them in large 
quantities, such as milk, fruit and vegetables, and by the internal and ex- 
ternal use of alkalies and neutral salts. 

Bathe or wash the skin once or twice a day with a solution containing 
one or two drachms of salaeratus, in a pint of warm water, with a sponge, 
and take a small teaspoonful of Rochelle salts, two or three times a day in 
water, half an hour before eating. 

Lateral Curvature of the Spine. 
Lateral curvature of the spine is a very common deformity among wo- 
Fig. 154. men, but comparatively rare among men. It is 

caused by exercising the muscles of one side of 
the body more than on the other side. Little 
girls often acquire the habit of standing with 
nearly all of the weight of the body resting on 
one foot, and so exercising and developing the 
muscles more on one side of the body than upon 
the other, soon producing lateral curvature of the 
spine, with one shoulder and one hip elevated, and 
more prominent than upon the other side, destroy- 
ing the proper balance of the spinal muscles, and 
the beauty and symmetry of the human form. This 
deformity of the spine is also often produced by 
sitting in an improper position while reading or at 
work, with one arm elevated and resting on the 
surface of the table, as shown in the accompany- 
ing illustration, fig. 155. 

At first the muscles only are involved in this 
variety of spinal deformity, but after a few years 
Lateral Curvature of the Spine. the boneg become i mp li ca ted, being altered in shape 

to accommodate themselves to this new position of the spine. 

Treatment. Lateral curvature of the spine may be cured by careful 
attention to physical culture, for the development of the muscles of the 
back. In the first place the dress must be loose, and the muscles of the 
back free from pressure or restraint, and then they must be called into ac- 
tion and thoroughly developed, by careful training. This will be best ac- 
complished, by training the spinal muscles to carry burdens upon the head. 




THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



257 



For a little girl ten years 
old, prepare a bag of sand, 
or any kind of grain, weigh- 
ing five pounds. Lay a 
soft pad upon her head for 
its protection, and then the 
bag of sand. When the 
weather is pleasant, the ex- 
ercise should be taken in 
the open air and sunlight, 
but when it is inclement, 
on the piazza or in the larg- 
est room of the house, with 
the windows raised. Con- 
tinue this exercise, carrying 
the weight upon the head 
for fifteen to twenty min- 
utes, three times a day, and 
at the end of each week add 
eight ounces to the burden, 
and so gradually increase 
the weight, until at the end of 
one year she can carry thirty 
or forty pounds weight on her 
head, for twenty minutes with- 
out fatigue, when all traces of 
this deformity will have grad- 
ually disappeared. Few per- 
sons have any adequate idea, 
what wonderful cultivation 
development, and strength, the 
muscles of the spine are capa- 
ble of acquiring' by appropri- 
ate training. Many of the 
black women of the Southern 
portion of our country, where 
it is customary for them to 
carry immense burdens, upon 
their heads, train and develop 
the muscles of their spines, un- 
til they attain wonderful sym- 
metry, strength and beauty 



Fig. 155. 




Improper Position while sitting at a table to Read or Work. 

Fig. 156. 




Proper Position while seated at a table to Read or Work. 



258 THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

The same result may often be seen amon^ the peasantry of Europe. 
Not long since, while visiting the interior of Pennsylvania, the author 
met a G-erman woman, trudging along the road side, with an immense bur- 
den upon her head, and being surprised at her unusual manifestation of 
strength, he inquired how many pounds she could carry on her head, when 
she quickly replied, "three or four hundred pounds, or a wash-tub-full of 
water, without spilling a single drop !" Being astounded at her story, and 
confronted with abundant evidence of its truth, the author still further 
inquired where she was raised, or what country she came from ? When 
the good woman related the simple story of her life. Ah ! sir, a long way 
off. I came from Germany. I was the daughter of poor peasants, and 
became an orphan when very young, and was compelled by my master to 
carry bundles of faggots or brush upon my head, to the bakers, in the 
distant market town, several miles, every day, until I became a woman, and 
then I came to America/' Every day, for years, this simple-hearted pea- 
sant woman had trudged along the banks of the beautiful Khine, bearing 
upon her head the bundle of wood, and while performing this labor, 
had trained and developed the muscles of her spine, until they had at- 
tained wonderful strength and beauty. After many years of hard train- 
ing, she had graduated with high honors, and great distinction, at the most 
distinguished of all institutions of learning, the College for the Physical 
Education of "Women, and her physical constitution was fully developed, 
and prepared to engage in the stirring, active duties of a noble and useful 
life! She had no fashionable weaknesses. No "over-done" sensations. 
No pain in her back ; but plenty of health and vigor, with a spine as ele- 
gant as Juno, and as beautiful as Venus ! 

Not long since, a pale and sickly student, of the author's acquaintance, 
a graduate of Yale College, engaged as a teacher in one of the G-erman 
settlements, in the interior of Pennsylvania, and boarding in a wealthy 
farmer's family, who had several stout, healthy daughters, accustomed to 
work out in the open air and sunshine, upon a large farm, fell in love 
with one of them, and like a sensible man, married her. Returning 
to his friends, in Connecticut, his mother and sisters pretended to be morti- 
fied, that their son and brother, so intelligent, highly educated, and refined, 
had foolishly taken a big, fat, healthy, well-developed Dutch girl for a 
wife ! and finally, they all upbraided him for doing so, when he defended 
himself by remarking, " Well, mother, I will tell you all about how it hap- 
pened. You know I am poor, and just commencing life, and I observed 
that when any of my friends married a pale, sickly, delicate and refined 
American girl, the very first thing they were compelled to do was to hire 
a big stout Dutch girl to nurse, and wait on them ; and as I could not 
very well afford to support two, I just concluded I had better marry the 
Dutch girl, and be done with it 1" 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 259 

Now, first allow me to intimate to certain foolish mothers, with pale, 
sickly daughters, of a certain age, that there are a great many more young 
men, who are rapidly coming to the same conclusion ; and if they do not 
devote more time to the gymnasium, and pay more attention to physical 
education and development, there will be many such delicate, pale, and 
sickly ladies ' : left over !" Men are beginning to get tired of marrying 
all cotton and crinoline, and sigh for more muscle. Even the most roman- 
tic young gentlemen are beginning to understand, that it is just as easy, 
and far more pleasant, to love a vigorous, well-developed, healthy woman, 
as it is to nurse an irritable, peevish, and nervous invalid for life ! Many 
silly people entertain the erroneous idea, that the world sympathises with, 
and loves invalids, or sickly people ! But this is a great mistake. The 
world hates invalids, and sick folks ! You may all say this is cruel, bar- 
barous, and all that, but it is true, and we must look upon the world as it 
is, and not as we would have it, if we could. 

When a miserable, wretched invalid calls on her friends, to spend a few 
hours, and she relates her doleful experiences, how bad she feels : " ah ! 
how my head does ache, night and day ; and then I have such a poor ap- 
petite. Nothing tastes good any more. My poor, old liver, is all out of 
order, and I am so bilious ; my side does ache all the time : and then I 
have got such a cough, I do think it will be the death of me. And my 
back is so weak I can't stand,' ' &c. "When an invalid calls on any one, 
and entertains them with such delightful conversation, it will require all 
the virtues of the saints and Christian martyrs to make any one feel happy, 
and enjoy their conversation. And when at last they leave your house, 
as you close the door behind them, you will sigh involuntarily, and exclaim, 
" what an awful bore, I do declare I thought she never would go !" 

But again, when one of these jolly, fat, good natured, healthy women, 
with bright eyes and rosy cheeks, who feels well all over, and whose mind 
and heart are brimfull of fun and good nature, and who never talks about 
herself, but who relates an amusing incident, or tells you so many funny 
stories that set you in a roar of laughter, until your side aches, and you 
exclaim, " my dear friend, hold on, don't tell me any more of your funny 
stories, or you will kill me !" When she gets up, and tells you she must 
go, you catch hold of her hand, and strive to detain her until after tea, 
and ask her to come again. When you close the door, and she has left, 
you will feel that she is your best friend, the most welcome and entertain- 
ing of all your guests, and you are always delighted to see her. 

Ah ! no, it is not necessary for any to make themselves invalids, merely 
to excite sympathy, or challenge the admiration of the world, for the world 
does not sympathise with sickly people. So, do not eat pickles, drink vin- 
egar, or pull the hooks and eyes to make yourself look pale, sickly and 
delicate, merely to please or excite admiration ! 



260 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



Fig. 157. 



LECTURE XXY. 

THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

The bones of the spine are also liable to diseases, causing great de- 
formity, especially in children of a strumous, 
or scrofulous constitution. When in good health 
and free from struma or scrofula, children of 
both sexes may run, leap, jump and play at will, 
and twist and bend their spines at their pleasure, 
with out any danger of injuring it, but when 
they are pale, sickly and delicate, or of a sickly 
and scrofulous constitution, sometimes a slight 
injury, such as a blow or strain of the back, may 
produce inflammation of the cartilages between 
the ends of the vertebrae or bones, which enter 
into the formation of the spine, causing weakness 
of the spine, much increased by standing and 
walking. "When this disease is not discovered 
early, and the proper treatment promptly adopt- 
ed for relief, it may grow until finally the bones 
of the spine become inflamed, and then softened, 
when they give way, allowing the head and shoul- 
ders to fall forward for want of proper support, 
and the bent spine forms a prominent lump easily 
seen by any one, as shown in fig. 157. This var- 
iety of spinal disease is quite as common among boys as girls. 

Treatment. For the prevention of caries and deformity of the spine, 
all children, more especially those of a strumous or scrofulous constitution, 
should eat plain, simple, but nourishing food, containing a large proportion 
of bone-forming materials, such as the carbonate and phosphate of lime, 
contained in milk, coarse wheat bread, oat meal, white corn and wheat 
mush, with cooked fruit, &c, and their skins should be kept scrupulously 
clean by bathing once a day in cold or cool salt and water, followed by abund- 
ance of friction, especially along the spine ; and they should exercise abund- 
antly in the sunlight and open air, and carefully avoid the stooping posi- 
tion while sitting and standing, as shown in the following, as well as pre- 
ceding illustrations, of the proper, as well as the improper position of the 
body, while sitting at the table reading, writing or engaged at any kind of 




Caries of the Vertebrae, with 
Curvature of the Spiue. 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

Fig. 158. 



261 




Improper Position. Proper Position. 

trade or mechanical employ- Fig. 159. 

ment. 

Shoulder braces are com- 
paratively useless in such 
cases as a means of training 
and strengthening the bones 
and muscles of the spine. 
In all such cases the respon- 
sibility rests with the parents, 
to guide and direct their 
children, and aid them to 
form correct habits in sitting, 
standing, walking, &c. At 
this early period of life, the 
physical constitution is young 
tender and plastic, and may 
be moulded into almost any 
shape that is graceful and 
beautiful, or by neglect or 
mismanagement or ignorance, 
it may be sadly deformed. 

When the body becomes old- Improper Position at the Table while Reading. 

er, larger quantities of limy matter enter into the formation of the bones, 
and they become more solid and fixed in their position, so that deformities 




262 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



Fig. 160. 



rarely occur after a certain age, and for this reason it is also much more 
difficult to effect cures of those deformities which took place earlier in life. 

"When the cartilages between 
the ends of the vertebrse form- 
ing the spine become inflamed, 
unless this disease is prompt- 
ly cured by rest, and other 
appropriate treatment, it will 
result in the extension of the 
disease to the bones of the 
spine, followed by softening 
and ulceration, causing fright- 
ful deformity, or death. 

In all such cases, as soon 
as the disease has been dis- 
covered, in order to secure 
perfect rest of the diseased 
parts of the spine, the child 
should be placed upon a fold- 
ed blanket, upon a sacking 
bottom, in a large well lighted 
and well ventilated room, rest- 
ing the diseased bones of the 
spine, until by the use of the 




How to Sit at the Table, while Reading or Working. 



most active and appropriate means the inflammation or ulceration can be 
arrested. If there is any enlargement of the bones of the spine with deform- 
ity, great relief will often be obtained, and the cure facilitated, by placing 
a well adjusted cap upon the child's head, with suitable attachments to the 
head of the cot bedstead, and gaiters upon the feet, to which weights 
should be attached and suspended over the foot-board, to make gentle ex- 
tension and counter extension of the spine, drawing the ulcerated sur- 
faces of the diseased bones apart, relieving pressure, allaying pain and 
facilitating the cure. If this treatment is commenced early, and continued 
for a short time, and suitable attention is given to the diet of the child, 
with the use of alterative tonics, such as the syrup of iodide of iron, the 
inflammation and softening of the bones of the spine will gradually dis- 
appear, and recovery will take place without any deformity, as the author 
has seen in numerous instances. But when such diseases are neglected, 
or allowed to take their own course without interference, " until the golden 
opportunity has been lost," when the disease wears itself out, and the in- 
flammation or ulceration subsides, the new bony matter which has been 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 263 

formed at the seat of the disease, will become firm and solid, fixing the spine 
firmly and immovably in this deformed position for life. 
Muscles of the Arms. 
When we examine the arms at the shoulders, we discover broad fan-shaped 
muscles, forming a sort of cap for the shoulder joint, called the deltoid mus- 

Fig. 161. 




Muscles of the Arm, Side and Leg. 1, Deltoid Muscles ; 2, Pectoral Muscles ; 3, Biceps Flexor ; 
4, Biceps Extensor of the Arm; 5, Serratus ; 6, Transverse Muscle of the Abdomen; 7, Gluteous 
Maximus; 8, Rectus Femoris ; 9, Sartorius; 10, Biceps Flexor Femoris; 11, Vastus Interus; 12, 
Gastrocnemius ; 13, Heel Cord ; 14, Anterior Tibial Muscles. 



264 THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

cles. These muscles are very useful to enable us to raise our arms, and place 
the backs of our hands against each other, above our heads. When these 
muscles are well exercised every day, they will soon become large, strong, 
graceful and beautiful. 

Many times the sleeves are inserted so low down on the sides of the 
waist of the dress, that they bind the arms at the shoulders, and render it 
impossible to raise them up so that the backs of the hands can touch each 
other; causing weakness of the deltoid muscles, round shoulders, and a nar- 
row chest; which is so indicative of effeminacy and premature decay, con- 
sumption, &c. 

There are also two large muscles distributed along the front and back 
part of the arms, above the elbow, called the biceps, and triceps flexor and 
extensor muscles, which are useful to bend and straighten the arm at the 
elbow joint. When these muscles are thoroughly exercised and cultivated, 
as often seen in the right arm of the smith, they become large, strong and 
beautiful. Allow the arms to hang dangling loosely by the side, as often 
seen in the dancing master, whose chief education resides in his legs instead 
of his arms, and they will wither and shrivel from disuse. 

Below the elbow there are numbers of flexor muscles, distributed along 
the front part of the arm, designed to flex or bend the wrist, hand, thumb, 
fingers, &c, and along the back part of the arm, a number of extensor 
muscles, which are designed to extend or straighten the wrist, hand, thumb, 
fingers, &c. These muscles originate just below the elbow joint, where 
the arm is large and fleshy, and the sheathes of their fibres and librilla 
unite at their lower extremities, forming long, slender, graceful and beau- 
tiful tendons, which are inserted into the bones of the hand. When these 
muscles are thoroughly exercised by opening and shutting our hands, bend- 
ing and straightening our" fingers many times every day, they will become 
large, strong, graceful and beautiful. 

Now it is possible for a bashful young gentleman to ascertain "before 
hand," whether a young lady that he has experienced a tender passion for, 
will really make him a good " help mate" or not. Many a young man, has 
found out afterwards, to his sorrow, sometimes. Examine carefully her arms, 
and if these muscles are large, powerful, graceful and beautiful, ten to one 
she has already discovered that her hands and arms were made for use, and 
not to look at, and that she has learned and knows how to use them. But 
alas ! if her arms are thin, delicate, soft and withered, or undeveloped from 
want of use, then rest assured that if they do not keep a servant, her " mother 
does all the work." Better not marry any of her daughters unless a man 
wishes to let himself out as a nurse for life. When such indolent and ef- 
feminate daughters assist their mothers to wash dishes, they fasten a rag 
to the end of a stick and stand off at arm's length, while they mop out the 
cups and saucers, for fear of soiling their delicate hands and fingers. 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 265 

While delivering a course of Lectures in one of the interior towns of 
Pennsylvania, the author was invited to call professionally, on one of these 
very delicate young ladies, and being detained a little longer than usual, 
when the young lady entered the drawing room, she apologized for detain- 
ing him so long, remarking that " she was giving a few directions to her 
washerwoman." Very soon her dear good mother entered the room, with 
a face, the picture of honesty and good sense, beaming with smiles, and 
rosy with health ; and taking a seat near the author, remarked, as she sat 
down, she " hoped he would excuse her, as she was engaged doing a little 
washing that morning \" The reader can easily imagine who the washer- 
woman was, in that family ! and about how much her daughters would be 
worth for wives ! Such delicate, feeble creatures should never marry ! 
They should be kept as a kind of animated waxworks, or as ornaments to 
adorn the drawing-room ! 

Muscles op the Leg. 

When we examine the muscles of the leg, we shall notice three large, 
coarse, strong muscles of the hip, located in layers, one under the other, 
and covering the hip joint, called the gluteal muscles. These muscles ex- 
tend from the bones of the hip to the bones of the leg, below the hip 
joint. Other large and powerful muscles extend down along in front of 
the leg to the knee joint, called the rectus femoris, vastus internus and 
externus, which are useful to straighten the leg at the knee joint; while 
others extend from the hip down to the back part of the leg, forming the 
ham-string tendons or cords, which are inserted into the bones below the 
knee, and are called the biceps, the semi-membranous, semi- tendinous, 
&c, and which are very useful to bend the leg at the knee joint. When 
these muscles of the leg are thoroughly exercised, developed and strength- 
ened, by alternate bending and straightening the legs at the hip and knee- 
joints, they will become large, powerful, graceful and beautiful, as seen in 
fig. 143, representing Hercules after slaying the Numidian lion. 

Below and behind the knee, we observe the gastrocnemius, plantaris, and 
soleus, uniting together to form the large and powerful tendon, called the 
heel cord. Theso muscles are designed to draw the os calcis, or heel bone, 
upwards, and to bend the ankle joint, so that we can walk on our toes. 
These muscles form the calf of the legs, and when thoroughly exercised, 
developed and strengthened, by standing and walking on our toes, a few 
moments several times a day, they will soon become large, strong, graceful 
and beautiful, as often seen in the enormous development of the legs of 
the danseuse and the pedestrian ! These muscles are often injured by 
wearing high heeled shoes and boots, which prevent their being called into 
use in bending the foot at the ankle, while walking, and cause their rapid 



266 



THE ORGANS OP LOCOMOTION. 



decrease in size and power ! Sometimes these muscles are permanently- 
contracted at birth, drawing the heel inwards and upwards, causing crooked, 
or club feet, which may be easily cured by a simple surgical operation, fol- 
lowed by skillful mechanical treatment. 

Pj G> 262. When we examine the anter- 

ior portion of the leg below the 
knee, we shall observe several 
muscles which are distributed 
downwards to the foot and toes, 
which are designed to straighten 
the feet and toes. When these 
muscles are thoroughly exer- 
cised, developed and strength- 
ened, by standing and walking 




__z. upon 



our heels, with our toes 



well drawn upwards towards 
the knees, for a few minutes 
several times a day, these mus- 
cles will soon become large, strong, graceful and beautiful. To enable us 
to accomplish this desirable object, the heels of our shoes and boots must 
be large and very short. High-heeled boots and shoes are simply a nuisance, 
designed to make cripples of all of their numerous victims, by preventing 
the proper exercise and development of the muscles of the legs and feet. 
Sometimes the anterior tibial muscles are contracted at birth, drawing the 
toes upwards, so that the person walks upon the heels. This variety of 
crooked feet is called calcaneus. 

When the heel is drawn upwards, and the person walks on the toes, the 
deformity is called equinus, and when the foot is turned inwards, as seen in 
fig. 162, it is termed varus. 

Treatment. Varus is by far the most frequent of all of the varieties of 
club foot, and valgus is the least frequent. All of these varieties of crook- 
ed feet, may be cured by mechanical treatment, without resorting to any 
surgical operation, but the treatment is long and tedious ; more can be ac- 
complished in one day by surgical treatment, than can be accomplished 
without it in a month. 

For the cure of equinus and varus, the heel-cord only requires to be di- 
vided. For this purpose a fold of the skin is raised up over the cord, and 
a very narrow delicate knife, not larger than a darning kneedle, is run un- 
der this fold of skin, then turning its edge downwards, the cord being ren- 
dered tense by forcible efforts to straighten the foot, by a few careful move- 
ments ot the knife it is made to divide the contracted tendon, and as soon 
as it is divided it gives way, allowing the foot to come nearly around 
straight in a moment. 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



267 



The foot being straighten- 
ed, must be supported and 
kept in place, by means of a 
properly constructed and 
well adjusted shoe and appa- 
ratus, such as seen in fig. 
164. In infancy, the parts 
being soft and yielding, a cure 
may be accomplished in a few 
days, but in advanced life, 
when the parts become hard, 
tough and unyielding, the 
apparatus and shoe must be 
worn for a long period. With 
patience and perseverance, a 
cure can be effected in any case. 



Fig. 163. 




Subcutaneous division of the Tendons for the Cure of 
Crooked Feet. 

The author has had good success in 
Fig. 164. 



several cases over forty years old. This deformity 
was formerly very common, but becomes more rare 
every year, from the number of cases that are con- 
stantly being cured in all parts of the country. No 
person need remain lame and deformed in this way. 
In no department of surgery has there been made 
greater improvements within a few years, than in the 
treatment of deformities. By means of the subcu- 
taneous division of the tendons, and without the loss 
of more than a few drops of blood, a good surgeon 
can straighten crooked eyes, crooked neck, crooked 
fingers, crooked elbows, crooked toes, crooked feet, 
crooked knees, anything in fact but a crooked tongue 
or conscience. We turn over that class of deformi- 
ties for our friends the clergy to operate upon, by 
other means. 

Our Feet. 

Our feet are composed of numerous bones, liga- 
ments, muscles, blood-vessels, nerves, &c. The bones 
of our feet are united together in such a way as to 
form a perfect tripod, with its bearings, corres- 
ponding with the base of the great and little toes, and the heel, as seen in 
fig. 165. The weight of the body rests upon an elastic arch, which expands 
under pressure, greatly extending its length and breadth, and enlarging 
the size of our feet, while standing and walking. The amount of this ex- 




Fig. 165. 




Foot, as seen in a child who 
never wore shoes. 



Fig. 166. 



268 THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

pansion of the feet while standing and walking, will 
correspond with the size and weight of the body. 

For this reason it is very evident, that we can only 
ascertain how long and wide the soles of our boots 
and shoes should be made, by standing on a sheet of 
white paper, with the whole weight of our bodies 
resting on one foot, and marking around it with a 
lead pencil. In this way we can easily get the. exact 
size of our feet, and ascertain "our number" with- 
out any mistake or dispute. Every step we take while 
walking, our feet should expand, when they touch the 
ground, like the wings of a bird while flying, and if 
the soles of our boots or shoes, are not long and wide 
enough, to admit of this expansion, we can never be- 
come graceful walkers. 

Many people seem to think, that our hands and feet 
Bottom of a well formed were not made for use, but to look at ! We look with 
amazement and pity at poor, ignorant Chinese women, 
who bandage and confine their feet, until they produce 
the most horrible and disgusting deformities, and we 
are filled with feelings of commisseration, as we witness 
their painful efforts to stand and walk ! But when we 
look at many of our fashionable fops and dandies on 
Chestnut street, with gloves so small, that their hands 
must be folded up like a fan, to enable them to get 
them on, and wear them; and boots or shoes, with soles 
so short and narrow, as to produce the most painful 
agony, and digusting deformities, as seen in fig. 167, 
showing the outlines of the foot, with the toes forced 
against, and overlapping each other, by the short and narrow-soled boot, can 
be seen so distinctly, as to be fully understood even by the dullest capacity. 
When the toes of our boots and shoes are too short and narrow, and the toes 
are forced against each other, the pressure will often cause thickening of the 
scarf skin, or cuticle, and the formation of soft corns and callosities be- 
tween the toes, causing much pain, lameness, &c. "Very frequently, one 
of the toes will be forced down under the others, as seen in fig. 168, to 
accommodate them to the short and narrow-toed boot or shoe. When ne- 
glected or improperly treated, the tendons or cords beneath the deformed 
toes finally become contracted, increasing the deformity, and rendering 
it more permanent ! For the cure of this deformity of the toes, it will be 
necessary first, to prepare a long wide-toed shoe, with a steel sole opening 
down to the toes, as seen in the shoe of the apparatus, for the cure of 




Chinese Woman's Foot 
drawn from Life. 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



269 



Fig. 167. 



crooked feet, fig. 164. The contracted tendons or cords, 
beneath the crooked toes, are now carefully divided, sub- 
cutaneously, as seen in the operation for the cure of crook- 
ed feet, and the toes are now well separated from each 
other, by thick layers of wash leather, or buckskin, and 
encased in wide-toed stockings, and the feet placed care- 
fully in the open shoes, which have been well opened 
down to the toes, so that the crooked toes can be covered 
with an elastic pad, composed of felt or buckskin, and 
their position easily examined without removing the shoes. 
The shoes are now laced moderately tight, from the toes 
upwards, the pressure of the felt or buckskin pads forcing 
the toes out straight, and keeping them in their proper 
position, until the deformity is cured. 

Yery frequently the nails of the great toes become 
rounded by pressure against the sides of the great toe, caused by short,, 
Fig. 168. Fig. 169. 






narrow-toed boots or shoes, causing the curved edges of the nail to grow 
down into the flesh, jp ig> 170. 

creating soreness, fol- 
lowed by inflammation 
and ulceration, 'from 
which granulations, of 
unhealthy proud flesh, 
soon sprout out around 
the nail, causing great 
pain and distress, with 
inability to wear a boot 
or shoe. 

There are numerous 
cures for this painful disease, some of which are practicable and successful , 
18 




Ingrowing Toe Nail, with Fungus granulations, or proud flesh, 
growing up around it. 



270 THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

and others not to be relied upon. The best, quickest, and most reliable 
method is to administer ether or chloroform, and when complete insensi- 
bility to pain has been secured, divide and remove about one-quarter of 
the nail, on each side, carrying the incision about one-quarter of an inch 
above the root of the nail, and then outward on each side, about a quarter 
of an inch, removing a piece of the skin, including the matrix in which 
the nail has its origin, an inch and a quarter long, and a quarter of an inch 
wide. Wash the wound with a weak solution of carbolic acid and water, 
containing one teaspoonful to a pint of water, and cover with lint wet in the 
colloid styptic, composed of sulphuric ether one ounce, tannin one drachm, 
collodion ten grains, and cover with a bandage, and a loose and roomy shoe. 
The colloid styptic, containing ether, tannin and collodion, forms an im- 
pervious coating, which excludes the atmospheric air, and prevents pain 
and suppuration. Wounds and cuts should always be washed with a so- 
lution of carbolic acid, containing one part to one hundred, or about a tea- 
spoonful to a pint of water, and then covered with lint wet in this styptic, 
to prevent pain and suppuration. The author has always used these re- 
medies in numerous surgical operations, for the last ten years, with great 
satisfaction. These remedies should always be kept prepared for use in 
every house, in case of accidental injury of any part of the body. Wounds 
so dressed will rarely require re-dressing ! 

p IG ^j\ Bunions are also caused by narrow-soled 

boots and shoes. Some persons are much more 
liable to bunions than others. A predispo- 
sition to chronic inflammation and enlarge- 
ment of the joints, is often caused by rheum- 
atism and gout, as may often be seen in 
numerous cases of chronic articular rheuma- 
tism and gout, followed by chronic enlarge- 
ment, stiffness and deformity of the joints of 
A Bunion, caused by a Narrow- the fingers, toes, &c. As before mentioned, 
Soied Shoe. [ n another place, rheumatism and gout are dis- 

eases of the blood. Rheumatism being caused by accumulation of lactic 
acid, and gout by the accumulation of lithic acid in the blood, produced 
by imperfect digestion and assimilation of our food ! In persons of a 
rheumatic or gouty constitution, with a tendency to inflam m ation, followed 
by calcareous deposits in the joints, pressure from narrow-soled boots or 
shoes, will be much more likely to be followed by inflammation and enlarge- 
ment of the joints, and the production of bunions, than in others, who 
are not subject to these infirmities. 

Treatment. To reduce the enlargement, and at the same time remove 
the pain caused by a bunion, we must remove the cause which produced it. 




THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 271 

If there is a tendency to rheumatism or gout, it must he removed hy appro- 
priate remedies, as directed in the appendix. To reduce the size of the 
bunion, and remove the pain, prepare and wear a wide-soled shoe or hoot. 
It is easily understood by any one, at all familiar with the limited power 
of medicine, that no remedy, however useful in its place, can move a barn 
or build a house, or widen the soles of our boots. No bunion can be cured 
until the pressure is first removed by widening the soles of the boots and 
shoes. As soon as this has been accomplished, the pain and inflammation 
may be removed by the application of a small belladonna plaster, or by 
covering it with a circular pad of wash leather, felt or buckskin, with a 
round hole cut out of the middle of it, to remove the pressure from the 
surface of the bunion, and which may be filled with the colloid styptic, 
and covered with a little lint. 

Corns and callosities are caused by thickening of the cuticle, or scarf 
skin, in consequence of friction or pressure. They frequently occur in the 
palm of the hands, or upon the fingers of the mechanic, in consequence of 
friction, caused by the use of mechanical instruments, while at work. They 
are also found upon the soles of the feet, and upon the sides of the toes, as 
well as other parts of the body. When the cuticle or scarf skin, which is 
insensible, becomes thickened and hard, forming a corn or a callosity, it 
may be easily cured by removing the cause, and applying any local remedy 
capable of softening the corn, and causing its exfoliation. As before men- 
tioned, these excrescences are caused by friction and pressure. The first 
may be produced by wearing a shoe that is too loose, and the latter by 
wearing a shoe that is too short, or narrow-soled. A shoe to fit the foot, 
should be sufiiciently long and wide-soled, not to pinch or press the foot, 
and admit of its expansion when we stand and walk; and at the same 
time, it should fit sufiiciently snug over the instep not to allow the foot to 
slip up and down at the heel, or to move in the cavity of the boots or shoes 
while we walk. In a word, there is no particular objection to shoes that 
fit snugly, or even a little tight, over the instep, if they are sufiiciently 
long and wide across the soles. The only way to procure such shoes, is to 
remove the stocking, and stand with the bare foot on a sheet of white paper, 
with* the whole weight of the body resting on one foot, and then measuring 
around it with a lead pencil, and giving the shoemaker especial directions 
to make your boots or shoes as wide inside of the soles, as the measure of 
your feet, at the same time telling him firmly, that unless he complies with 
your reasonable request, and makes your boots and shoes according to your 
directions, you will not take them when they are done; and rest assured, 
you will soon bring him to terms ! Yery few men or women, employ shoe- 
makers to fit their boots and shoes to their feet, but they employ them to 



272 THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 

jit their feet to their shoes, and some of them would pare down the feet of 
their customers to fit their absurdly awkward boots and shoes, as many ig- 
norant blacksmiths do the feet of the horses they shoe, until they become 
so lame they cannot walk. 

How to Cure Corns. 
Having removed the friction and pressure causing corns, by the sub- 
stitution of well constructed shoes and boots, the thickened cuticle may 
be easily removed, by applying equal parts of carbonate of soda and com- 
mon brown bar soap. Rub these substances together with a spoon handle 
or knife blade, on the surface of a plate, forming a strong alkaline oint- 
ment. Spread this on a piece of buckskin or wash leather, and apply 
it to the surface of the corns, at bedtime, after soaking them for five or 
ten minutes in hot water, allow it to remain until morning. The alkaline 
or soap ointment will soften and dissolve dried albuminous substances, as 
often seen when any one washes clothing in strong soap and water, when 
very frequently the lye of the strong soap, will eat through the thin albu- 
minous layer of scarf skin, causing raw sores upon the hand and fingers. 
When the corn plaster is removed in the morning, the corn to which it has 
been applied, will be found white and soft, and by scraping a little around 
its base with your finger nail, it may be easily raised up and turned out, just 
as you would turn over a buckwheat cake in the frying process. Paint 
over the tender surface, beneath the corn which you have removed, with 
the colloid styptic for protection, and it will not require any further atten- 
tion. In this way with little trouble and no expense, any one can easily 
cure all of their corns in a short time, and as soon as they have cured them, 
if they will only put on a pair of short, narrow-soled, high-heeled boots or 
shoes, they can easily raise another crop in three months' time. The feet 
and toes are prolific soil, and we can raise at least four crops of corn-s a 
year without any difficulty. Many unreasonable people find fault with the 
skillful corn doctor, who removes their corns, because they return again. 
Ah! no, corns never return again, but other ones grow from the same, or 
from other parts of the toes and feet, in the same way that other diseases, 
when once cured, do not return again, but any one may have fevers, small- 
pox, &c, several tunes during their life, and be as often perfectly ciired. 
We cannot say that when a man is cured of dyspepsia, or the liver com- 
plaint, gout and rheumatism, &c, that he will never suffer with these dis- 
eases again, or as some people say "stay cured." That will depend alto- 
gether on circumstances, over which the most intelligent physician has lit- 
tle or no control. The physician can advise what should be done, to prevent 
and cure different diseases, but he cannot regulate the moral conduct or 
the daily habits of mankind. The moral duty of preserving health by 



THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 273 

living in accordance with the natural laws, which govern the growth and 
maintain the health of the body, cannot be delegated to the family doctor, 
nor the responsibility shifted upon the shoulders of the medical profession. 
This duty, and this responsibility, rests upon each individual. The preser- 
vation of his own health, and the prolongation of his own life, is placed in 
his own hands, by the Creator, and he can, as a free agent, do as he pleases 
with them. Nor can he plead ignorance of the laws governing the growth, 
and maintaining the health of his own organization, in extenuation, anymore, 
than a drunken man, can plead his besotted and drunken condition, in ex- 
tenuation for murder. It is the duty of all men to keep sober, and if they 
will voluntarily get drunk and murder, the crime is in getting drunk. We 
are all endowed with intellectual faculties, and it is a great moral duty to 
study and understand our own nature, and the laws which govern the 
growth of our organization, and maintain its health. And if we will not do 
so, and consequently, ignorantly violate these laws, then the crime consists 
in our ignorance of those things, which all mankind ought to know. 



274 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH* 



LECTURE XXVI. 
HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

When any organ of the human body is called into use, it will cause larger 
quantities of blood to flow into it, improving its nutrition, rapdly increas- 
ing its size and developing its power. The influence of this law of 
muscular development, may be seen in the effect of muscular exercise upon 
the heart and organs concerned in the circulation of the blood, while bleed- 
ing any one from the arm 

When an opening has been made into the principal vein of the arm, if 
the blood does not flow out sufficiently fast r it is customary to request the 
patient, if a lady, and remarkably good-looking, to squeeze your hand as 
hard as she can; but if it happens to be only one of these horrid men, then 
to take hold of the chair post or broom handle, and squeeze it firmly. Now 
every time the muscles of the hand and arm contract firmly, they will 
compress the elastic blood-vessels of the arm, and quicken the circulation, 
and more than double the quantity of the blood, which flows from the 
opened vein of the arm It will be easily seen from this simple illustration, 
that if the body remains at rest, the blood circulates slowly through the 
numerous blood-vessels into all of the different parts of the body, and hence 
when attacked with fever or diseases of an inflammatory character, the 
body should be kept still and quiet. The least movement or exercise, 
coughing, &c, will always increase the danger, in hemorrhages from the 
lungs and other organs of the body. 

As before mentioned, there are about two hundred and eight bones, and 
four hundred and seventy muscles in the body, capable of executing the 
greatest variety of movements. Now the exercise of one of these numer- 
ous muscles, will not be sufficient to increase the flow of blood into all of 
them, increasing their size and power. On the the contrary, the exercise of 
only one muscle or organ, will divert or draw the blood away from all of 
the others, and so increase its size, and develop its powers, at the expense 
of all the rest.. We cannot exercise the muscles of the arms, to devel- 
op and strengthen those of the legs. Nor can we exercise those of the 
legs, to develop and strengthen those of the arms, any more than we can 
exercise one faculty of the mind, to develop and strengthen another faculty. 
Each one of the four hundred and seventy muscles, must be exercised sep- 
arately, for the purpose of enlarging its size and increasing its power. It 
was upon this general law of physical culture and development of power, 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 275 

that Dr. Ling of Sweden, founded his system of " movement cure," which 
has become so celebrated throughout the world. Having thoroughly stud- 
ied the situation and use of each muscle of the body, he compelled all of 
his numerous patients, to practise all of those movements, which were neces- 
sary to exercise every muscle of the body, not only to enlarge the size and 
increase the strength of every muscle, but to act as a diversion, calling the 
the blood away from deep seated vital organs, that were congested, irritated, 
inflamed or diseased, and so relieving and curing them without the use of 
any medicine whatever. In many chronic diseases of long standing, when 
cases are properly selected, there can be no doubt but what his system of 
treatment is best adapted to effect a cure, and it is certain that it has been 
followed by the most satisfactory results. 

From what has been said, it will be easily understood that any one par- 
ticular kind of employment or work, or any one particular kind of exercise, 
will not be sufficient to exercise all of the four hundred and seventy mus- 
cles of the body, and consequently, will not develop and strengthen all of 
the muscles. Hard work, at any employment, will at most, only exer- 
cise a limited portion of these numerous muscles, and make them large and 
strong, at the expense of many others, by directing their proper proportion 
of the blood away from them, allowing them to wither and shrivel, and be- 
come powerless. Mechanics and working men often become very strong, 
in those parts of the body which are used in their daily toil, and very 
weak, and comparatively feeble, in other parts of their bodies. They are 
very superior in some respects, and quite inferior in others. Their mus- 
cular system is not well balanced and harmoniously developed, in all its 
parts. In this respect, they are much like many others who have exer- 
cised their intellectual faculties, and their moral natures, upon one or two 
subjects continuously, until they have enlarged and strengthened certain 
organs of the brain, and certain faculties of the mind, and moral nature, 
at the expense of all of the other organs and faculties of the mind and 
moral sentiments, which have become dwarfed and atrophied from disuse. 
Such persons become one-idea'd men and women; they constantly think 
upon and talk about one subject, and it gives them the headache to think 
upon or talk about anything else. To use a modern popular phrase they have 
a particular hobby " on the brain." They are even very religious on one 
subject, and unfortunately, that one may not always be the most important; 
while in other respects, in thought and duty they may be very feeble. In 
fact the world is full of inharmoniously developed, and imperfectly edu- 
cated men and women ; well developed and strong intellectually, morally 
and physically, upon one subject, while they are very weak and feeble 
upon all others. 

Prize fighters and the athletae understand and apply this principle in all 



276 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

their efforts to train, develop and strengthen all parts of the human body. 
Their principal efforts are to remove all defects or weak parts of the body, 
and make them all equally strong, so that there will be no weak or vulne- 
rable point, that can be successfully assailed by their antagonist in the final 
encounter. Many of these professional pugilists, have been practical me- 
chanics, working at different trades, and when not in training to improve 
and strengthen themselves, have often indulged in various sensual and 
enervating habits, which have weakened and exhausted their system, until 
they are what is termed "out of condition" and unfit for any display of 
strength or courage. Now it will be both interesting and profitable for 
all debilitated invalids to observe, how they regain the strength which they 
often lose by the indulgence in irregular habits, of an enervating and 
exhausting character. As soon as the contest has been agreed upon, and 
the arrangements made, the training begins. And first, the diet is modi- 
fied, and adapted to the production of the greatest amount of physical 
power and endurance. Away goes tobacco, tea, coffee, rum, beer, &c, in 
all of their various forms, and all sensual indulgences, of every description. 
All prize fighters train themselves in perfect continence, living upon plain, 
simple, nourishing food, such as bread, beef, and cold water only. 

They fully understand that hard work at any kind of trade or mechan- 
ical employment, will not make a man stronger in all parts of his body, as 
it does not afford a sufficient variety of movements to exercise, develop and 
strengthen all the different muscles ! It is for this reason, they resort to a 
great variety of exercises, best fitted to call into use every muscle of the 
body : such as exercise and movements with dumb-bells, Indian clubs, sand 
bags, leaping, walking, jumping, climbing, striking, &c. It is indeed won- 
derful to see with what rapidity a man in earnest, with his whole mind and 
heart set upon it, can double and quadruple his ordinary strength or power, 
in this way? 

What an interesting and important lesson is here taught our enervated 
and sickly young men, seen lounging in the saloons and club-rooms, and 
upon the corners of our streets, emasculating themselves with the ener- 
vating fumes of tobacco, and other sensual indulgences, until they become 
mere shadows of what they might be, if they only had resolution or man- 
hood enough to arise, and, like Samson, shake off all these enemies of 
their true manhood ! and, by a well regulated system of physical training, 
develop all their innate powers of body, mind, and moral natures ! 

Pleasures of Physical Culture. 

The Creator seems to have wisely implanted in the breasts of all man- 
kind, the irresistible, instinctive love of motion. This instinct manifests 
itself in the child, soon after its birth and introduction into the world. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 277 

The fond mother often witnesses these feeble movements of her young and 
tender infant, with the most intense pleasure, and frequently exclaims, 
see how the little fellow stretches, and grows !" Food, sleep, and motion, 
how few and simple are the child's wants, at this early and interesting pe- 
riod of his existence. As he grows stronger and older, then he rolls, tum- 
bles, and plays upon the floor. By and by, as his limbs become stronger 
by exercise, he climbs up by the side of the chair, and stands upon his 
feet, with feelings of doubtful security ! when mother, standing away a 
few paces, extends both of her hands, and looking at him, as mothers only 
know how to look, with a face so full of confidence and encouragement, 
tempts him by saying, " come, now, come !" when away he totters with 
unsteady steps, to meet the open and extended hands of his mother. What 
peals of laughter manifest his triumph, in learning how to take his first 
steps. In vain after this, will his mother say, " now, do be quiet one mo- 
ment, or you will drive your poor mother crazy I" Down comes the broom, 
and, with one foot over the handle, away he goes, tearing around the room, 
" playing horse," until he is tired, and goes to sleep ! 

The same is true of the little lambs and colts. How they are stirred and 
animated by the same irresistible instinctive love of motion, which prompts 
them to run, skip, jump, and play, upon the green hills and meadows. 
Now, suppose we were to interfere with the fullest manifestation of this 
instinctive love of motion, and cruelly confine one of these beautiful little 
colts in the stable, all the time, until he becomes a horse six years old, 
then we can easily ascertain what will be the effect of this restrained, ar- 
tificial, and unnatural life upon this noble animal. When examined at the 
end of six years, standing all this time quietly in the stable, he will be 
found to be ring-boned and spavined in every joint of his body, and to 
have become totally valueless. 

And so of many beautiful little girls, whose ignorant and thoughtless 
mothers confine them in the nursery and the drawing-room, until their 
constitutions are broken down, and totally ruined for want of sufficient 
air and motion. The natural exuberance of the feelings of youth, and 
the overflow of the spirits of infancy, prompts all little boys and girls to 
run, romp and play, and so exercise the bones, joints, and muscles of the 
body, to round off, finish and polish the ends of the bones and cavities of 
the joints, and develop, perfect, and strengthen all of the muscles ; and 
how unwise and cruel it is, for mothers to strive to check this buoyancy 
of feeling, and this overflow of the spirits implanted within them by the 
Creator, for the wisest of purposes. As a general rule, boys are expected 
to grow strong and vigorous men, and boys are allowed to obey this in- 
stinctive love of motion. They can run, skip, jump, climb, and play, at 
almost any and everything — even stand on their heads, if they wish to do 



278 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

so. Every little girl in good health, experiences the same longings, the 
same impatience of restraint, the same instinctive love of motion ; and 
when they fancy mother is not watching them, quite as closely as usual, 
they will steal out upon the lawn, or into the garden, without any hat or 
bonnet, and run, romp, and play, catching the butterflies, and gathering 
the beautiful flowers, with cheeks red as roses, and eyes sparkling with 
health and animation. By and by, their foolish mother happens to dis- 
cover them, when she quickly raps upon the window, and in they creep, 
silent and crest-fallen, looking as demure and ashamed, as if they had com- 
mitted some unpardonable sin. When their thoughtless, ignorant mother, 
exclaims, "why, my daughters, I am astonished at you ; out in the garden 
without any hats, romping and playing like great coarse tom-boys. Why, 
you will grow up as big as an elephant, and be as coarse as a horse ! Now, 
why can't you obey your mother, and stay in the house, and behave like 
young ladies, sit down on your nice little chairs, have your nice little sew- 
ing, and grow up such nice little ladies !" ready to go into a fit at the sight 
of a mouse, and into hysterics at the sight of a spider I So that nice lit- 
tle men, with nice little hands, nice little moustaches, and nice little walk- 
ing sticks, can defend and protect such delicate little creatures from all 
such horrid monsters and wild beasts as those just described ! 

Why Exercise is Painful to Invalids. 

When we neglect to exercise, develop and strengthen our bones and 
muscles in infancy, it will be irksome and painful for us to use them in 
after life. The same is true of all intellectual and moral culture, as any 
one will quickly ascertain, who commences his mental education at the age 
of twenty, without any mental discipline or previous habits of study. It 
requires many long and weary months of mental application, and close 
study, to develop and strengthen the organs of the mind, before it becomes 
pleasant to think, reason and reflect without pain and fatigue, upon any 
subject. 

And so it is with our bones and muscles. When they are not exercised, 
trained, developed and strengthened in early life, as we grow older it be- 
comes irksome, painful, fatiguing and disagreeable to use our shrivelled, 
weak and imperfectly developed bones and muscles. 

It is for this reason there are so many pale, exhausted, wretched bed- 
ridden invalids in middle life, who have not had sufficient courage and en- 
ergy to enable them to make a long determined systematic effort, to exer- 
cise, train and strengthen their weak and feeble bones and muscles, because 
at first it causes pain, and makes them feel worse for a time to do so. They 
cannot appreciate the advantage of anything that does not produce imme- 
diate beneficial results, and so go to bed and lay there day after day, month 
after month, and year after year, until death comes to their relief. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 279 

We are often compelled to think of these great physiological truths, as 
we witness the sad failure of many enlightened efforts, made by the most 
intelligent physicans, to restore unfortunate bed ridden invalids, to active 
and useful lives. Having wisely insisted, that some unfortunate bed ridden 
invalid, shall commence a thorough course of systematic physical exercise, 
and training of the muscular system, for the restoration of health and 
strength, at last he yields a reluctant assent to his request, and begins with 
only a very little exercise, and the next day finding his muscles sore and 
painful, is discouraged, and insists that he is worse, and cannot bear any 
excerise, &c. When I meet intelligent and skillful physicians, with all of 
the patience of Job, struggling good naturedly, with some bed ridden in- 
valid, insisting upon his constant reliance upon the latent, undeveloped 
resources of his own nature, for the development of strength and power, 
it reminds me of an incident related to me by one of the earliest emigrants 
to California. Among those ardent adventurers, was an old friend of 
mine, who had been a bookkeeper for many years, in a large mercantile 
establishment on Market Street, seated upon a high stool, with his feet and 
legs hanging dangling somewhere between heaven and earth, we cannot say 
precisely where, his employment was not well calculated to develop the 
muscles, especially those of his lower extremities. In his haste to become 
wealthy, he could not afford to wait the slow, tedious voyage around the 
Capes of South America, and so injudicously determined to make the jour- 
ney across the continent. Having reached the frontier settlements of the 
West, he purchased for himself the usual outfit, and after he had ridden 
his miserable old horse a few hundred miles over the plains, the horse gave 
out and died, leaving his unfortunate master about six hundred miles from 
any place, with no other means of continuing his journey, but his own 
withered and feeble legs. The first evening after a hard day's walk, he 
encamped with his traveling companions upon the borders of a ravine, where 
he slept but little, being disturbed by the howling of wolves, and still more 
ferocious savages. When he awoke in the morning, his body and limbs 
were sore and full of aches and pains, but the recollections of the previous 
night's entertainment, were a powerful incentive to exertion, so rising early, 
he toiled on with painful and feeble steps all day long, and at night was so 
foot-sore, lame and exhausted, that he was glad to throw himself upon the 
ground for rest and repose, but during the night his slumbers were again 
disturbed, by prowling wolves, and wild and ferocious savages. Linger but 
for an hour behind his companions, and he would soon become food for the 
beasts of the plains. When he awoke the third morning, and tried to turn 
over and get up, he seemed transfixed to the ground, what aches and pains 
ran through his exhausted muscles. In vain he sighed and complained, 
as he thought of his mother's soft feather bed, and declared that if he was 



280 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

only at home, he would not get up for a week. Linger but a moment be- 
hind his companions, and that would be the last of him ! Do or die ! 
With every bone and muscle of his body exhausted and full of pain, he 
gathered himself, up and limped on after his companions. Again when 
the sun declined below the horizen, he sought repose and sleep in the camp, 
with his friends, but again his slumbers were disturbed by the beasts of 
the plains, who scented their prey. When he awoke, it was in vain he tried 
to turn over, for it seemed as though his body was firmly pinned to the 
earth with aches and pains; the slightest movements of his body or limbs, 
produced the most intense, racking pain and torture. This indeed was the 
turning point in the crisis of his fate. Life or death were now trembling 
in the balance. So with the courage inspired by fear and desperation, he 
clung to his companions as the only means of safety. From this time for- 
ward, as he continued his perilous journey, his daily sufferings rapidly de- 
clined, and by the time he reached the golden sands of California, he could 
easily walk forty miles a day without fatigue, and come into camp at night, 
feeling like a spirited race horse u on his last quarter." 

Bulwer, in one of his interesting stories, tells us that the love of fame 
and success is immortal ; and that even the most worthless would become 
renowned, if they could do so by dreaming ! Without any fixed purpose, 
and with feeble steps, they commence the journey of life. Soon they en- 
counter little obstacles on every hand. The lion difficulty stands forever 
in their pathway ; and so trembling with irresolution they fall to the earth, 
and are speedily swept away into the ocean of eternity, without leaving a 
ripple upon its surface, no word or sign to mark that they had ever lived. 

It is only on rare occasions, that we are permitted to see young men 
and women, rising in the morning of life, rosy with hope, a heart full of cour- 
age, and a soul animated with that deathless purpose to win laurels from 
the great future ! No obstacles can daunt them, difficulties stimulate them 
to increased exertion, nothing can frighten them from that pathway that 
leads onwards and upwards, into the temple of fame, through whose lofty 
portals no mortals footsteps ever trod, except through their own energy, 
toil and exertion. 

When the author witnesses the unsuccessful efforts of many earnest, skill- 
ful and intelligent physicians, to restore pale, feeble bed-ridden patients to 
an active useful life, he cannot help thinking, that if they would only light 
a match, and set the bed on Jire, after a while they would probably turn 
over, and if the fire kept burning, by and by many of them would " turn 
out." 

An iron will, and the display of power and courage, is often required 
on the part of medical men, in the treatment of bed-ridden invalids. 
Indeed, most all invalids will invent all sorts of excuses for not carrying 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 281 

out any well digested plan of treatment for their recovery, many of them 
insisting that the best possible treatment makes them feel worse : have 
more pain, &c. ; that they can't exercise, that they "lose their breath" if 
they make the least exertion, &c. , The author has never yet known a sin- 
gle instance, when such an invalid ever found his breath while sitting still. 
The best thing an invalid can do who has lost his breath, is to get up and 
run after it, or it will get away so far, that he never will catch it again. 
Others complain of being so weak, with their nerves all unstrung, the best 
thing they can do is to fly around and string them up again. 
Our Schools and Colleges. 
Our whole educational system is defective, and needs reorganization, 
from the primary school to the college. The great object of all schools 
and colleges should be the thorough exercise and development of the phys- 
ical, moral, and intellectual nature of man ! to qualify every human being 
to engage successfully in some useful avocation or calling, calculated to min- 
ister to the welfare and happiness of society. Every well organized school 
or college, should contain all of the means required for the thorough train- 
ing and development of the physical organization, as well as the moral and 
mental nature of each pupil, and it should be as disgraceful for any pupil 
to be deficient in physical culture, as in mental or moral science ! 

The first ten years of the life of every human being, should be sacredly 
consecrated to the development of the physical constitution, and the mo- 
ral nature of every child, and at least one-third part of the time thereaf- 
ter, especially devoted to education, should be set apart for training and 
developing the body. Education would then mean something. It would 
be significant of character, and indicate superior culture in all respects. 
The world is full of brute force, and of ignorant, unskilled, uneducated 
laborers, mere living, animal machines. The great want of the age is edu- 
cation — skill to direct this mechanical force to some useful purpose. No 
pupil should ever be permitted to graduate at any school or college, who 
has not trained and developed his three-fold nature — his physical, moral, 
and mental powers,^and learned some useful employment. The world is 
fall of educated fools, graduates of seminaries, colleges, and other insti- 
tutions of learning, for the education of both sexes, well trained in lite- 
rature, with feeble, impefectly developed physical organization, who when 
turned out of college, with the wide world before them, are totally incap- 
able of earning a comfortable living ! The world demands educated, well 
trained, and skilled laborers in all of her thousand mines and workshops, 
and upon her rail-roads, canals, and public works. And this demand is 
constantly on the increase. There is no danger of a surplus of skilled ed- 
ucated laborers. The field for such workers, is as wide as the universe, 
and the demand absolutely illimitable. 



282 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

Without education, without physical training, intellectual and moral cul- 
ture, a man is a mere living human machine, only qualified to do the 
roughest part of the world's work, and is in constant competition with 
mechanical inventions, or machinery and brute forces, and is in constant 
danger of want of employment, for his inferior, ignorant, mechanical labor. 

The Utility and Dignity op Labor. 

" Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, six days shalt thou labor 
and do all thy work," &c. So then it is no disgrace to work, whether 
rich or poor, but it is plainly and absolutely wicked, not to work six days 
out of every seven, at some honorable and useful employment. Now, one 
of the most unfortunate consequences resulting from the general neglect 
of physical culture, in most of our schools and colleges, is the disposition 
manifested, especially among the educated and effeminated classes, to regard 
manual labor as degrading in its nature, and derogatory in its influences. 
The time was, when mind, worth, made the man, and the want of it the 
fellow ; but the time now is, when indolence and idleness, make the man, 
and industry and work, the fellow. In the census of this city, a gentleman, 
is the only man, amoDg all of our citizens, who has no business or em- 
ployment, one of our do-nothings. 

With us the great struggle of life, is for the attainment of wealth, not 
for its uses, but as a means of enabling us to retire from the active duties 
of life, to stultify ourselves, to ignore our wants, to lead a life of sickly, in- 
animate and inglorious ease. The passion for the attainment of wealth is 
often so great, that men will cheat, lie, steal, or do anything to become sud- 
denly rich, in order that they may become do-nothings — that is, gentlemen. 
Now the author finds no fault with wealth, or the legitimate means of its 
attainment In a country like ours, with so many employments for head, 
hand and heart, it is almost a crime for a man to be very poor. Indeed, 
every man should labor for wealth, not to found a family, or purchase an 
estate, but as an aid to high intellectual, and high moral culture. G-reat 
wealth, as an inheritance for posterity, is in many instances, at least of 
doubtful value, and many times it indeed proves a curse. Who ever heard 
of an eagle toiling and struggling to fill its nest with flesh, to gorge its 
young eaglets? Does she not rather teach them by want, to spread their 
own young and tender wings to the blast, and while soaring away upwards, 
bathe and strengthen them in the pure, balmy light of the sun. 

Let us not toil and struggle to acquire great wealth, as a means of inglor- 
ious ease and oppression; and when wealthy, let us not forget to use our 
means for the noblest of purposes — the promotion of human happiness, by 
the improvment of the moral, physical and intellectual condition of all 
mankind. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 283 



LECTURE XXVII. 
HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

When we study the formation and nature of man, it is everywhere evident, 
that the great and good Creator, never designed that he should lead a life 
of idleness and inglorious ease. If he need not work for a maintenance, 
then he needs exercise for the development and preservation of his own 
nature, and to acquire the means of charity. All toil which ministers to the 
welfare and happiness of mankind, is equally ennobling and useful. Indeed, 
there is nothing in the nature of any kind of useful employment, which can 
degrade any man or woman. It is rather the spirit which is carried into 
employment, which elevates or degrades it. There is nothing absolutely 
disgraceful in being a petty shop-keeper, and in measuring tape, and selling 
it by the single yard. The only absolute disgrace consists, in having a soul 
whose range of thought is as short as the stick, and as narrow as the tape. 
The ploughman who turns over the clod, may be a Cincinnatus or a Washing- 
ton, or he may be a mere brother to the clods which he overturns. In a 
world like this, which is so full of incentives to exertion, and of rewards for 
achievement, a life of idleness is the most disgraceful of disgraces, and the 
most shameful of shames. An idler is not quite so much a biped,as he is a 
sort of bivalve, a kind of human oyster, that merely opens and shuts. 

" Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work." How often this 
command is broken, by lazy, idle, and indolent people. If you would 
understand, and fully appreciate the consequences of violating this great 
natural law, which was doubtless instituted for man's welfare and happiness, 
then experiment upon your own organization. Fasten your right arm across 
your chest, so as to render it impossible for you to use it, for a few months, 
and when at the end of this period, you remove the fastenings, you will be 
surprised to discover, that its muscles have withered and shrivelled to one 
half their size, and your arm and hand will have become so weak, that you 
cannot raise a glass of water to quench your thirst. Many poor, miserable, 
wretched, sickly people not only "rest the seventh day, which is the Sab- 
bath," but they rest all of the time, and still foolishly think they serve 
God, and keep His commandments. 

The disastrous consequences of want of muscular activity, has often been 
seen in its terrible effects, upon those who have been confined in the prisons 
of Europe, for political offenses. The illustrious Lafayette, when confined 
in an Austrian dungeon, came near falling a victim to the exhaustion conse- 
quent upon such confinement and inactivity. The thousands of miserable 



284 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

victims, who issued from the Bastile, after long confinement in its dungeons, 
with their distorted limbs and deformed bodies, excited a thrill of indig- 
nation throughout the world. No wonder the heart of the Parisian mob 
beat with indignation, when they saw what cruelty and oppression had been 
inflicted upon their brothers, for mere disbelief in the divine right of kings 
and princes. No wonder they arose in their majesty and power, and hurled 
with violence, this system of barbarous and inhuman torture to the ground, 
and erected upon its foundation, the sacred column to glorious liberty, 
equality, fraternity. Verily it is true, that those who would live by the 
sword of tyranny and oppression, shall perish by the sword of truth and 
justice. How many thousands of men and women, in all parts of our 
country., linger out a miserable existence of idleness, and helpless imbecil- 
ity, who might through well regulated physical education, become robust, 
strong, useful and happy citizens, engaged in some useful employment. 
Thousands of pale, feeble and emaciated females, scarcely pass the threshhold 
of their own doors, during the long winter months; and their pale and 
withered countenances, and lusterless eyes, tell us of the misery and the 
suffering which they endure. Only the other day, the author was called 
upon to prescribe for the daughter of one of these mothers, who could not 
appreciate the virtue and value of any kind of physical education, except 
taking pills. After advising careful attention to physical education, as a 
means of restoration, the mother raised her spectacles, and booking at him 
with the utmost astonishment, exclaimed, "physical education ! Why, la me ! 
I am sure it does not do our William any good, for ha has lived on nothing 
on arth, for the last twenty years, but vegetable pills, and he ain't a bit 
better I" Unfortunately, many more human beings have tried that kind of 
physical education, with no better success. Giving physic to an invalid, 
is like turning over a rock for an argument, or using a crowbar to convince 
a man. 

Would you think of strengthening and developing the weak mental pow- 
ers, or moral feelings of your children, by means of pills, powders, pana- 
ceas, and poorman's plasters ? If there was anything strengthening in these 
remedies, that is, anything capable of developing and invigorating weak 
muscles, then instead of sending your son to the college and the Sabbath 
school, and church, to develop and strengthen his intellectual faculties, 
and moral feelings, you should send him to the apothecary shop, and have 
his head shaved, and a strengthening plaster applied, to develop and strengthen 
his brain. 

Physical education was held in very high estimation by Greece and 
Rome, as a means of acquiring great strength and beauty. They erected 
expensive baths and gymnasia or schools, for physical training, and then 
dedicated them in solemm service to the gods of strength, wisdom and 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 285 

beauty: to Hercules, to Minerva and to Venus; and they were appropri- 
ated to the free use of both sexes. They established the olympian games, 
chariot races, and gladiatorial contests, as a means of securing great physi- 
cal superiority, enabling them in arms, arts and the sciences, to attain uni- 
versal admiration and envy. 

The ancient Grecians and Romans desired great physical power, not to 
combat error with truth, or overcome evil with good, but to conquer the 
world by brute force; and when they had attained their ignoble object, 
they became indolent, and idle, while feasting upon the spoils of victory j 
and hence their decline and fall. 

" Strengthen and fortify your bodies, 
Not to strike or slay, unless the audible voice of Heaven 
Call thee to that dire office, but to shed on ears, 
Abused by falsehood, truths of power, in words immortal ! 
Not the words which flash from the fierce demagogue's 
Unthinking rage, to madden for a moment, and expire ; 
Nor such as the wrapt orator imbues with the warmth 
Of facile sympathy, and moulds to mirrors, radiant 
"With fair forms, to grace the noble fervor of an hour ; 
But words which bear the spirit's great deeds, winged 
For the future, which the dying breath of freedom 
Shapes as it exhales, and to the most enduring 
Forms of earth commits, to linger in the craggy shade 
'Neath the eagle's home, or in the sea cave, where the tempest sleeps, 
Till some heroic leader bids them wake, 
To thrill the world with echoes I" 

One of the greatest obstacles to thorough, physical education is, that 
good health is associated with coarseness and vulgarity. Not long since, 
a very pretty and interesing young lady observed to the author, " why, 
who would have red cheeks, and look so coarse and countryfied. I" Indeed, 
most of the young ladies of the present day do not study and practise the 
means of acquiring good health, but rather the means of acquiring weak- 
ness, and lady like delicacy ! Many silly young women entertain the ab- 
surd idea, that extreme pallor, great weakness, and delicacy, is synonymous 
with refinement and gentility ! The very word refinement is supposed to 
indicate something less gross, less robust, coarse and vulgar, than good 
health and physical perfection ! Women have discovered that most men 
prefer them to be weak, and encourage and perpetuate this foolish and false 
idea, so that they can maintain their great superiority for courage and 
physical power, and so patronize and protect these feeble, delicate creatures, 
who are so weak they cannot protect themselves ! Only think of a refined 
delicate lady being healthy, and strong enough to take care of herself, and 
not be compelled to have a protector ! Indeed, half a man's patronage 
and importance would speedily disappear ; and hence, it is so coarse and 
19 



286 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

vulgar for a woman to know anything, be anything but a parlor ornament, 
or a piece of ornamented wax work, or the plaything of society ! 

This is the principal reason, why such a large proportion of fashionably 
educated women suffer with muscular weakness, spinal complaint, general 
debility, &c. It has been said, by a recent author, that more than nine- 
tenths of the women of this country, who have been educated at our fa- 
shionable boarding schools, suffer with more or less curvature of the spine, 
as seen in fig. 154 ; a deformity which is almost entirely unknown among 
boys and young men, who are allowed abundant exercise in the open air. 

Now, let us ask you, who is responsible for all this educated weakness, 
debility and deformity ? Who, but those men who flatter, admire, and 
commend all those foolish ideas, and fashionable follies, which produce such 
disastrous results ! Rest assured, that all these fashionable weaknesses, 
and all these diseases, and terrible deformities, are produced by causes that 
are within the control of human agency, and are left in operation only, in 
consequence of a want of an educated, intelligent, and influential public 
opinion, to correct them. If the physical education of women received 
the same attention bestowed upon the opposite sex, there would be few 
spinal diseases, and comparatively little muscular debility, and other weak- 
nesses among them. 

Woman is not weak by reason of her sex, as a great many uneducated 
people fancy, but from want of physical training, from custom, fashion, and 
habit. Among many savage tribes, the female is the stronger of the two 
sexes. Even in parts of our own country, you may find plenty of robust 
and vigorous women, stronger than the average of men in other parts of 
the country. In the interior of Pennsylvania you will find plenty of ath- 
letic, robust and vigorous women, accustomed to work out in the harvest 
field, with their big, stout brothers, who would make some of our young 
knights of the yard-stick, and imperials, fly round like a top in the hands 
of a school-boy. 

A few years ago, the author had the pleasure of lecturing at Hollidays- 
burg, at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, and while there, was invited 
to an evening party, and while romping with some of the young ladies, he 
undertook to catch one of them in blind man's buff. It took him a long 
time to do so, and when he had caught her, it was simply impossible to 
hold her, she was so strong. Why, the muscles of her arm were as hard 
as a bar of iron ! The author asked her if she ever felt weak, or nervous, 
had the hysterics, or got the blues ? and she only laughed at him I It is 
only to be hoped, that many of our nice young men, who think that all 
females are the weaker vessels, may not by accident fall into the hands of 
some of these mountain girls : if they do, they may as well give up at once, 
for the author can assure them, there will be no need of any broom-stick 
to make them behave themselves. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 287 

But again; the style of dress which has long been worn by many 
women, is well calculated to restrain all freedom of locomotion, and cause 
great effeminacy, weakness and debility, on account of the length of the 
skirts ! The great object of clothing should be, first, to guard against cold; 
secondly, that it may be put on and removed with the least possible trouble ; 
thirdly, that it may possess the most graceful form consistent with unrestricted 
freedom of motion ; and fourthly, that the material be of the best kind to 
accomplish these conditions, with the greatest facility for cleanliness ! For 
those who may be born to consume the fruits of other peoples industry 
and ingenuity, if such there may be, such clothing may be used as will 
express their helpless dependence and uselessness. 

The idle and indolent classes, may well enough adopt the long flowing 
draperies of the Turk, in his harem ; or the morocco pumps, silk stockings 
and short breeches, of the last century; and they should be labeled "this 
side uppermost with care, glass!" and not to be exposed to winter or rough 
weather; or they might wear the long swaddling-clothes common to 
infants, and be labeled "full grown babies," indicating that they are to be 
carried, and are dependent upon nurses and servants ! Were women mer- 
maids, the long flowing skirts or trains, would be mechanically right; but 
inasmuch as they have two lower extremities instead of one, they require 
separate integuments, as much as a glove requires separate fingers, in order 
to be convenient and useful. 

But again, the long flowing dress or train, worn by many women at the 
present day, not only interferes with the proper movements of the trunk, 
and the extremities of the human body, but it is so horribly filthy and un- 
healthy. Neatness, purity and sweetness, are a part of the natural 
characteristics of womanhood, and when we see a lady wearing a long trail- 
ing dress, raking up the filth and mire of the gutter, we are filled with 
amazement. Indeed, there is not a beast, or a bird in all creation, that 
will drag its own tail down in the dirt, as many women will do their dresses. 
Because a queen or a duchess, on state occasions only, and in the lofty 
palaces of Europe, must wear trails, shall an American girl make her- 
self look ridiculous, by wearing them on all occasions, even out in the streets, 
dragging their long trails through the filthy gutters, sweeping the dirt ? But 
let any young man walk after one of these creatures, and see what she 
rakes up as she goes ahead of him, and if that does not make him feel 
squeamish, he has got a tough stomach, and can stand anything. 

But again, physical education is not only useful, to develop and strengthen 
our physical organization, but indirectly, it contributes in no small degree, 
to cultivate and unfold our mental powers and moral sentiments. Exercise 
stimulates the heart, arteries and veins, and so quickens the circulation of 
the blood, not only into the muscles, nourishing and increasing their size 



288 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

and power; but also to the brain, developing and increasing its size, and 
unfolding its wonderful powers. It is thus, that labor or manly exercise, 
dignifies and improves the nature of man. It promotes the health, strength, 
grace and beauty of his physical form. It disciplines his passions, refines 
his taste, exalts his feelings, and contributes to unfold his immortal moral 
sentiments, and mental faculties. Motion, action, progress, development, 
these are the words which now fill the blue vault of heaven, with their stir- 
ring appeals, and make humanity's heart pulsate with a stronger bound- 
These are the talismanic words which thrill the world with echoes, and 
lead on our noble youth to fame and fortune. "Who, indeed, but the sons 
of toil and activity, have made the most splendid discoveries in ancient and 
modern times ? Who discovered and explained the laws of gravitation ? 
Who caught the sparkling flame from heaven, and chained it harmless 
upon the ground ? Who enabled us to speak as with the flaming tongue 
of lightning, across a continent, and through the ocean ? Energy, motion, 
activity, life, by their magic and matchless influence, we possess the golden 
key which unlocks the treasures of all knowledge, fame, power and afflu- 
ence. Mind is immortal I Mind is imperial ! It bears no mark of high 
or low, of rich or poor. It heeds no bound of time, place, rank, or cir- 
cumstances. It requires but action. It is heaven born, and it aspires to 
heaven. Weakness does not enfeeble it. Poverty cannot repress it. Diffi- 
culties do but stimulate its vigor. And the poor tallow-chandler's son, that 
sits up all night, to read a book which an apprentice has loaned him, lest 
the master's eye should miss it in the morning, shall stand and treat with 
kings, shall add new provinces to the domain of science, shall bind the 
lightning with a hempen cord, and bring it harmless to the ground. And 
on that kite — when the city upon which it that day loooked down, shall be 
known only by its ruins — will be read by posterity, as it waves high up in 
mid air, in blazing colossal letters, the name of Benjamin Franklin. 

It has often been said of this distinguished American philosopher, that 
in early life, when a printer in this city, he was not ashamed to wheel his 
paper along the principal streets on a wheelbarrow. Now let me ask you 
how many Benjamin Franklins we have among our editorial friends to-day, 
who would not be ashamed to do likewise ? If they have a load of wood 
left at their doors, they dare not saw or split it, though dying by inches, 
for want of physical exercise, for fear of what Mrs. Grundy would say, or 
their neighbors would think ; and yet if they can only get the wood down in 
the cellar, out of sight, they may saw and split away, as long as they please. 

Now, is it not one of the most unaccountable of contradictions, that 
men will look backwards upon examples of industry, activity and frugal- 
ity, with feelings so different from those with which they contemplate the 
same virtues when exhibited before their eyes ? Who does not feel ho- 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 289 

nored by his relationship to Dr. Franklin, whether as a townsman, a coun- 
tryman, or even as belonging to the same race ? Who does not feel a sort 
of personal complacency in that industry and frugality of his youth, which 
laid the foundation of so much generosity and kindness in after life ? 
And yet how few there are among us, who would not disparage, nay, ridi- 
cule and condemn a young man who should follow Franklin's example ! Is 
not this the strangest of weaknesses, and the most inconsistent of inconsist- 
encies ? When we take credit to ourselves for commending a virtue, why 
should we disdain to practise it ? Do you ask me why we have no more 
old Benjamin Franklins in the present generation of adults? I answer, 
because we have no more young Benjamin Franklins in the rising genera- 
tion of youth. None who will feed their bodies upon a roll of bread, in 
order that they may regale their minds upon sacred and divine philosophy ! 

Again, it is a natural law, that continuous action without rest, exhausts 
and destroys the muscles. The injurious consequences of excessive ex- 
ercise of the muscles, may be seen in many of the avocations and employ- 
ments of life. If you stand erect for a long time, listening to an eloquent 
address, the muscles of the spinal column and lower extremities become ex- 
hausted, painful and weak. If you engage in any mechanical employment 
requiring you to stoop, or lean forward, continually exercising certain mus- 
cles of the spine, they will soon become weak and exhausted. Lumbago, 
and spinal rheumatism, often originate in this way. The blacksmith, who 
works at a very low anvil, will often complain of spinal weakness ; and so 
of many other mechanical trades, which require those who work at them 
to stoop, or lean forward, and for the cure of which they often wear poor 
man's and porous plasters. Now, if medicines cure diseases, by removing 
the causes which produce them, then the author would like to know, how 
many strengthening plasters it will take to raise a low anvil, and cure the 
blacksmith's lumbago, produced by hard work in a stooping position ? 

The amount of diseases which is produced by the unequal distribution 
of labor, can scarcely be appreciated by those whose attention has not been 
particularly directed to the consideration of the subject. Thousands an- 
nually die from excessive toil, while myriads languish in inglorious ease, 
and in helpless imbecility ! 

But many people will aver that they have not time for relaxation and 
rest. The Coon sage begins one of his aphorisms with this remarkable 
expression, " ars longa, vita brevis f which virtually means, " our labors 
are many, but our days are few." The aphorism is correct, but the infer- 
ence drawn from it is often wrong. It is not by dedicating all our hours 
to labor, that we shall achieve the grandest results, whether intellectual or 
mechanical — consistent at least, with health. Parsimony is not always 
economy ; and he who subtracts a certain portion of his time from his 



290 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

mental or physical avocations, and dedicates it to simple relaxation in the 
open air and sunlight, will reach the goal of his ambition sooner, or at 
least, more safely, than he who considers all time lost, which is not spent 
in the specific avocation or pursuit in which he is engaged. The author 
is well aware, that in the present organization of society, thousands, nay, 
millions are so circumstanced, that their daily wants demand the daily 
waste of their health and strength. This is particularly the case with 
females, and it affords an additional reason for our sympathy, and kindness 
to the more amiable, as well as the more industrious, and oppressed half of 
the human race. Is it not, indeed, unfortunate, that the toils and the ex- 
ertions of poor, suffering women are so ill repaid, that they are, in many 
instances, compelled to sacrifice their health and happiness to secure the 
means of procuring the merest necessaries of existence, while thousands 
revel in wealth and affluence ? 

Franklin long since observed, that if every human being worked four 
hours a day, at some useful employment, their combined productions would 
be more than sufficient to procure all of the necessaries of life, in great 
abundance, and leave sufficient time, for the necessary intellectual and moral 
culture. But unfortunately, men are utterly selfish and divided, by indi- 
vidual and separate interests, and are educated to believe that the provi- 
dence of G-od has designed one-half of the human race, merely for the 
purpose of eating up the fruits of the industry of the other half; that one 
class were born to riot in luxury, and thus doom the other half to a life of 
excessive toil and sorrow. The physical, as well as the mental and moral 
deterioration, produced by the sufferings and privations of our over-worked 
manufacturing population, may well excite the commisseration of the 
statesman and philanthropist. ^ 

Again, the stimulus of joy, hope and success, sweetens toil and pro- 
motes success. The exercise of our mental faculties, and moral sentiments, 
increases the flow of blood to the brain, and develops its wonderful powers ; 
which in turn, may be expended upon the muscles, calling them into heal- 
thy action. Its benificent influence, may be witnessed upon almost all of 
the employments and pursuits of life The love of fame, the hope of suc- 
cess, as well as the accumulation of wealth and power, stimulates the noblest 
efforts of the student in his midnight cell, the artist in his studio, the me- 
chanic in his work shop, the agriculturist upon his farm, the statesman in 
the senate, and the orator in the forum. 

Even when we engage in the pursuits of pleasure, its zest is heightened 
by amusement. The pleasures of the sportsman are determined by his 
success. If we tempt the finny tribe, along the banks of some neighbor- 
ing stream, after angling for several hours, if we have no success, the 
employment becomes painful and irksome; and we begin to think with Dr. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 291 

Johnson, tnat we have a worm at one end of the fishing tackle, and a fool 
tied to the other. But when we draw trout after trout, from the crystal 
stream, the stimulus of success, precludes thought or feeling of fatigue, 
from the amusement. When we climb the mountain cliff, in pursuit of the 
flying deer, or the swift-footed antelope, the amount of fatigue resulting 
from the excursion, depends very much upon the excitement of success. 
"When we capture no game, we return at night overcome with fatigue and 
exhaustion, and perhaps disgusted with the sport. But when successful, 
our hearts beat vigorously, and our steps are light and elastic. 

Go back to the darkest period of the history of the American revolution, 
and observe Washington, with the remnant of a scattered army, exhausted 
and dispirited, hastily retreating across the plains of New Jersey, in the 
face of a successful and relentless foe, until at length an opportunity was 
offered to clip their wings at Trenton and Princeton, which at once revived 
the drooping spirits of this little band of patriots, and nerved their arms 
with hope and confidence, which enabled them to carry on, to a successful 
issue, that great and glorious contest for freedom, and the rights of man. All 
exercise and labor should be combined with rational amusement. Joy, 
hope, sympathy, exalt the vital powers, and strengthen and invigorate the 
whole organization of man. Hence it is the duty of teachers, parents, 
guardians and employers, to provide for the young, rational amusement; in- 
asmuch as the Creator has rendered its use so necessary for the develop- 
ment and maintenance of health and happiness. 

" In whate'er you sweat, 
Indulge your taste : some love the manly toils, 
The tennis, some, and some the graceful dance; 
Others more hardy, range the purple heath 
Or naked stubble, where from field to field, 
The sounding covies urge their laboring flights, 
Eager amid the rising cloud to pour 
The guns unerring thunder ; and there are 
Whom still the mead of the green archer charms. 
He chooses best, whose labor entertains 
His vacant fancy most ; the toil you hate 
Fatigues you soon, and scarce improves your limbs." 

The benefit to be derived from exercise, will be very much increased, if 
the invalid has in view that which enlists his whole attention, and stimu- 
lates his feelings. Who has not noticed the different expression which 
the countenance assumes under the influence of exercise, combined with 
amusement, from that derived from exercise alone. " Laugh and grow fat," 
is an old and a true saying. Be sorrowful, and grow lean and melancholy, 
is equally true. 



292 HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 

Look around you and see who it is that is >most constantly afflicted with 
some disease, and who it is that dies earliest. In this beautiful city, there 
are many young ladies, who are called patterns and examples for others. If 
they attend school, they are never known to smile or laugh, or if they do, 
it is by accident, when they blush and look as if they had committed the 
unpardonable sin. They always wear countenances so demure, and expres- 
sions so pure and angelic, and they look so ethereal, as to appear scarely fit 
to inhabit this rude, cold earth; and they often sicken, fade and die ; when 
all of the well meaning old ladies and gentlemen say, they were too good 
for this world, so they have gone to another and better one. 

Again, in this city there is many an opposite illustration, where an oppo- 
site history is recorded. A girl presents herself to your view, whose coun- 
tenance is the very picture of health and happiness, filled with the exuber- 
ance of joy and animation, which dance in the sunshine of her expression 
and sparkle in her eyes — so full of animation and vitality, she can scarcely 
sit or stand still for one moment — she runs, romps and plays, with her 
mouth stretched from ear to ear, with bright and rosy laughter. At school 
she is always known as the greatest rogue, and is constantly whispering, or 
sticking a pin into some of her companions, or pinning a piece of paper to 
the teacher's coat-tail. Constantly on the move, she has no time to sit still 
long enough for pain, disease or death to overtake her. As she advances 
in life, she still maintains her happy temperament, and becomes the pride 
and ornament of society, and the idol of the family circle. 

Cultivate kindly feelings towards all around you. If you employ ser- 
vants, and would make them useful and happy, be generous and kind to- 
wards them, for you can well afford to be. Rest assured that a kind word 
now and then, will not lessen your dignity in the estimation of any but fools, 
and it will contribute inexpressibly, not only to the promotion of their 
health, but your own welfare and happiness. 

The following rules of exercise, will be found useful as a guide for 
invalids. 

Students, invalids, and others, should be careful and not exercise the mus- 
cles, when the brain and nervous system are exhausted from over excite- 
ment or exercise of the mental faculties, but they should remain quiet, 
rest and sleep. 

Carefully abstain from active exercise immediately after eating a hearty 
meal, as it will divert the blood away from the stomach to the muscles, and 
suspend the secretion of the gastric juice, and bring on terrible indigestion 
or dyspepsia. 

Always exercise early in the morning, when the stomach is empty, and 
the brain and nerves are full of vital force, or an hour or two after each 
meal, when the food we have eaten is nearly digested. 



HOW TO ACQUIRE STRENGTH. 293 

Short walks, or a little exercise often repeated, will keep up a more con- 
tinuous determination of blood to the muscles, and is far more useful than 
long and tedious exercise, taken once a week, or when it is convenient. 

Experience proves, that thirty minutes devoted to physical exercise or 
training, twice a day, in any well regulated gymnasium, will be sufficient to 
develop the largest amount of physical strength, the muscular system is 
capable of manifesting. 

When incapable of voluntary exercise, friction or " passive exercise," 
should be applied all over the skin, for twenty minutes, twice a day, with 
the naked hand, or a coarse cloth. 

When the body or limbs are paralyzed, they should be taken in the 
hands of a skillful assistant, and be made to imitate all of the various 
movements they were capable of doing before they became diseased. These 
movements should be continued twenty minutes, twice a day, and be fol- 
lowed by abundance of friction, &c. 



294 



ON THE SKIN. 



Fig. 172. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

ON THE SKIN. 

The skin which covers the outside surface of the human body, in many 
respects, resembles the bark of a tree; being composed of two layers, the 

outside one of which, is 
called the cuticle or scarf 
skin, and the inside one 
the cutis vera, or true 
skin. The cuticle is 
easily separated and re- 
moved from the cutis 
vera, by the application 
of a blister, and is found 
on examination, to be 
composed of dried albu- 
minous matter, like a 
very thin coating of the 
dried white of an egg. 
Like the dead outside 
bark of a tree, the cuti- 
cle or scarf skin, is de- 
signed to protect the liv- 
ing parts beneath. 

When the cuticle is 
carefully examined by 

The under surface of the Cuticle or Scarf-Skin, raised up and the micrOSCOpe, it is 
removed from the Cutis Vera or True-Skin, exhibiting upon its „ , , ■, i « 

, , , . ' i-,. 4 .. found to be composed oi 

under surface numerous depressions, corresponding with the r 

Conical Elevations, called the Papilke, seen upon the outside sur- multitudes of minute 

face of the True Skin. Numerous Perspiratory Tubes, are also Wood _ cells w hich, when 
seen attached to the under surface of the Cuticle, the long stems J ' 

of which have been drawn out through the Cutis Vera, or True first deposited Upon its 

Skin beneath. ft.^ under ^^ are 

nearly round cracker-shaped bodies, but which alter in their shape, and be- 
come very thin, flat, dry scales, upon its outside surface, as seen in the 
accompanying illustration. The cuticle is composed of dead inorganized 
animal matter, like the outside bark of a tree, and is continually peeling 
off, in the form of numerous scales called dandruff or scarf skin, &c. It is 
much thicker upon the palms of the hands and soles of the feet even at birth, 
showing that these parts of the body, were designed to come much more 





ON THE SKIN. 295 

frequently in contact with external objects, Fig. 173. 

than with other portions. It also possesses 

a wonderful power of adapting itself to all of 

the changes of circumstances and wants of the 

body, so as to afford greater or less protection, 

as may be required. When for a short time, 

the cuticle is submitted to the influence of 

friction or strong pressure, it will rapidly 1 

thicken itself, so as to afford additional pro- No - % a thin Bcale of Dandruff 

n . „ from the Scalp ; No. 2, a thin layer 

tection, forming in many instances, as we often of scarf pkin from the back of the 
see in the palm of the hand of the mechanic, band, seen to be composed of thin, 

-,-,,,., -i-i i'i j. dl T flattened Blood-Cells. 

hard thickened ridges, which serve to protect 

the nerves and blood-vessels beneath from injury. Change the employ- 
ment, remove the friction and pressure, and when additional protection is 
no longer required, then the cuticle will quickly adapt itself to this 
change of circumstances, and become as thin as a sheet of tissue paper. 

The same remarkable changes may often be seen upon the toes of our 
feet, when we adopt the fashionable habit of wearing short stub-toed and 
narrow-soled boots and shoes. In its efforts to protect our feet from injury, 
the cuticle, under the influence of friction and pressure, rapidly thickens 
itself, forming numerous, hard, conical elevations, called corns and cal- 
losities. These painful excrescences may be easily and permanently cured, 
by simply removing the causes which produce them. 

The color and transparency of the cuticle will always depend upon the 
number of dark pigmentary granules, formed and deposited in the new and 
freshly formed cells upon the under surface. If these pigmentary gran- 
ules are very numerous, the cuticle will be very dark colored, as in the 
African races. Scald the skin of the darkest negro, remove the cuticle, 
and the true skin beneath it will be as white as snow. 

In some persons there is a great deficiency of dark, pigmentary granules, 
producing that peculiar condition of the skin, noticed in the Albino. In 
others, this deficiency of coloring matter shows itself only in white spots, 
affecting the cuticle and hair, called "vitilligo." 

Diseases of the liver often cause constipation, and the retention of dark 
coloring matter in the blood, and its deposit in the freshly formed cells of 
the cuticle, causing an icterous, or jaundiced hue of the skin. The ha- 
bitual use of strong tea and coffee, containing large quantities of dark 
coloring matter, causes a rapid increase of pigmentary granules in the 
new cells of the cuticle, rendering the skin of strong tea and coffee drinkers 
dark, sallow and dingy. Under such circumstances, this increase of dark 
pigmentary granules will be deposited on the face, along the edges of the 
hah*, causing a dark strip of skin, extending from one ear up along the 



296 ON THE SKIN. 

edges of the hair to the ear over on the opposite side of the face ! In 
fact, nothing can be more ruinous and destructive to the transparency and 
beauty of the skin and complexion, than the use of strong tea and coffee, 
followed by habitual constipation, torpor of the liver, &c. Abstinence 
from the use of strong tea and coffee, followed by light cathartic medi- 
cines, taken early in the morning, to stimulate the liver, and regulate the 
digestive organs, sponging the skin over the liver, with diluted nitro mu- 
riatic acid, and suitable attention to the laws of health, will soon remove 
all these dark spots and blemishes from the skin and complexion ! " Chlo- 
asma/' " moth," and other discolorations of the skin, may depend, like 
vegetable mould, upon the presence of parasites upon the surface of the 
skin, and can only be removed by the application of parasiticide washes, such 
as sulphurous acid, glycerin and water, once or twice a day. An excellent 
application for this purpose is composed as follows : 

Glycerin three ounces, sulphurous acid one ounce. Mix, and apply to 
the dark spots or discolorations twice a day, after washing with castile soap 
and warm water. 

The sun exerts a powerful influence over the formation and deposit of 
pigmentary granules in the cells of the cuticle, more especially in persons 
of fair complexion, producing numerous dark brown spots, called lentigo, 
or freckles, which may best be removed by anointing the skin with an 
ointment prepared as follows : 

R. Sulpho Carbolate of Zinc 2 parts. 

Glycerin 25 " 

Rose Water 25 " 

Spirits 5 " 

Mix. 

Anoint the skin twice a day, and allow it to stay on from a half to one 
hour, and then wash off with cold water. Wear a dark veil when in the 
sunlight. 

When the cuticle has been injured or destroyed by scalds, burns, bruises, 
&c, wash the parts with a weak solution of carbolic acid and water, con- 
taining a teaspoonful of carbolic acid in a pint of water Cover the parts 
with lint, or linen cloth, smoothly applied, and well wet in this solution, 
and keep them covered so as to exclude the atmospheric air. Carbolic acid 
is an invaluable dressing, for fresh cuts, bruises, scalds and burns, and 
should always be kept in the house by every family, to be used for this 
purpose in case of an accident. It is a good local anasthetic, and quickly 
allays pain. It is also one of the best antiseptics, and prevents putrefaction 
and suppuration, and the formation of matter, causing cuts or injuries, to 
heal by the first intention, and without suppuratiog or forming matter. 
It also dries up all discharges, and hastens the healing process in all old, 



Fig. 174. 



ON THE SKIN. 297 

long standing cases of chronic ulceration of the skin, and other parts of 
the body. 

The Cutis Vera or True Skin. 
When the cuticle has been raised up by the 
action of a blister, and it is turned over, so that 
we can examine its under surface, it is seen to 
be gathered into numerous folds or ridges, like a 
fan, to admit of its extension and contraction, so 
as to facilitate all of the various movements of 
the trunk, and extremities of the body, during 
life. Between each of these white ridges, are 
seen numerous dark furrows, which correspond 
with the ridges seen on the outside of the skin, 
in the palm of the hand, or on the ends of the 
fingers. When these furrows are examined, they 
present numerous round openings, showing the 
position of the mouths of the perspiratory pores, 
which open along the surface of the ridges upon 
the outside of the skin. When the cuticle has 
been removed, by the action of a blister, and the 
true skin is brought into view beneath, its out- 
side surface presents numerous little conical elevations, called the papillae of 
the skin. The cones of these papillae, correspond with and fit into the 




The under surface of a piece 
of Cuticle, from the palm of the 
hand, showing numerous dark 
grooves or furrows, correspond- 
ing with the ridges on the out- 
side of the Cuticle. Numerous 
round openings, show the posi- 
tion of the mouths of the Pers- 
piratory Ducts. 



grooves of the cuticle, as seen upon its under sur- 
face. 

The cutis vera or true skin, is situated beneath 
the cuticle or scarf skin, and is the seat of some of 
the most important functions of animal life. It is 
one of the most highly organized and sensitive, of 
all of the tissues of the human body, containing a 
great multitude of blood-vessels and nerves. The 
blood-vessels of the skin are so exceedingly minute, 
that we cannot see them with the naked eye alone, 
and yet when examined with the microscope, they 
present a wonderful net work, covering every part 
of the skin, so perfectly, that we cannot pierce it 



Fig. 175. 




with the finest cambric needle, without wounding 



The Papillae of the True 
Skin, seen on the removal of 
the Cuticle. The cones of the 

one or more of them. Now it is estimated, that if Papiliw fit mto the grooves of 
we could collect all of these minute blood-vessels the Cuticle, as seen in fig. 174. 
of the skin, and form them all into one blood-vessel, it would far exceed in 
size, the principal artery given off by the human heart. In infancy the 




298 ON THE SKIN. 

blood-vessels of the skin are so numerous and so large, that children have 
bled to death from so slight a wound of the skin, as a leech's bite. 

Nerves of the Skin. 
The nerves of the skin originate in the posterior column of the spinal 
Fig. 176. cord, and terminate in little loops upon the pa- 

pillae of the skin. These little nerves are finer 
than a spider's thread, and yet they are so numer- 
ous, that we cannot discover any part of the skin 
which we can penetrate, with the finest cambric 
needle, without wounding some one or more of 

Papilla? of the skin, in which , -i mi . i . . , . , . , , 

the nerves of the sense of tact them ; The ? are S0 ™merOUS, that it IS estimated 

and touch terminates. that if they could all be collected together, they 

would form a mass far exceeding in size and weight the human brain itself. 
These little sensitive nerves, endow the skin with extraordinary sensibility, 
productive of the sense of tact and touch. It is for this reason that all 
injuries of the skin, such as scalds, burns, &c, produce such shocks to the 
nervous system, followed by alarming prostration and death. It is said by 
Baron Depuytren, that when one-half of the skin is burned or scalded to a 
blister, that death will always take place from the shock communicated to 
the brain and nervous system. 

Many diseases of the brain and nerves may be treated most successfully 
by proper applications to the skin. Medicated, warm, cold, and shower- 
baths, followed by vigorous friction, are among the most powerful means 
of invigorating and strengthening the brain and nervous system, and will 
often afford relief where other means have failed. As a means of allaying 
that feverish excitement and nervous irritability, which is the bane and 
the misery of countless millions of human beings, the bath has no equal. 
To remove that peevish irritability and nervousness, so common to infancy, 
it will be found vastly superior to "Grodfrey's cordial," "paregoric," or 
" Mrs. Winslow's soothing syrup," or any other sedative ever yet invented 
by human ingenuity ! 

Plunge the little sufferer into a warm bath, once or twice a day, and it 
will remove the heat and excitement from the nervous system, almost as 
quickly as it would remove heat from hot iron. While delivering a series 
of Lectures at Dayton, Ohio, a few years since, a young blacksmith hap- 
pened to be present, and hearing my remarks upon the management of 
children, thought he had caught an idea. So running home, he at once 
put it into execution. As he entered the house, he heard the baby crying 
as usual, when he said to his wife, "the doctor says you must plunge him 
in warm water, and soak it out of him !" So hastily preparing a tub of 
warm water, they plunged him into it, and, said he, " would you have be- 



ON THE SKIN. 299 

lieved it, lie was so cross and irritable, that he almost ' sizzled ' like a piece 
of red hot iron !" The bath quickly removed all of the heat and excita- 
bility from his brain and nervous system, so that he slept soundly all night, 
a thing he had never done before in all his life ! He was good all the next 
day, but when the sun declined, he was cross and peevish, when they 
soaked him over again, with the same happy results. Now, I would say 
confidentially, to all unfortunate husbands, who have irritable, cross, ner- 
vous, and unhappy wives at home, " soak them well," at least once a day, 
if you would secure peace, quiet and happiness in the family. And I 
would say to all discouraged and unhappy wives, who have accidentally 
married melancholy, cross, irritable and peevish husbands, you had better 
not touch them with the broom stick, but give them a thorough "soaking," 
in warm water, once a day. As a means of discipline, there is nothing 
like it. The bath should be followed by thorough friction all over the 
surface of the body, until the skin looks as red as a " boiled lobster I" 
When you have finished him, he will have become a new man, with a to- 
tally different disposition, feeling amiable, generous, affectionate. Now is, 
indeed, the time to ask for a new bonnet, or a new silk dress, — he feels so 
rich and generous, he cannot refuse ! 

Very few human beings are so incorrigible and refractory, that they can 
withstand the influence of the bath. No means of discipline ever yet 
invented, has been found equal to the shower bath, as used in many of the 
houses of correction and discipline, in this and all other countries. The 
shower bath succeeded, when all other means of discipline and punishment 
had failed ! 

The Organs of Perspiration. 

The skin covering the outside surface of the human body, is gathered 
into numerous folds like a ruffle, to admit of its extension and contraction, 
and adaptation to all of the changes of position, and movements of the 
body and limbs during life. 

Along the surface of these folds, seen upon the surface of the skin covering 
the palm of the hand and ends of the fingers, we can easily discover a great 
multitude of minute pores, opening into little spiral pipes or tubes, extend- 
ing down through the skin about one quarter of an inch in length, and 
finally terminating in little sacks, called the perspiratory follicles. These 
little sacks act like minute strainers, straining out or secreting from the 
blood, a large amount of fluid, called perspiration or sweat, composed of 
water, holding in solution various worn out and poisonous animal substan- 
ces, and other impurities. When we drink a glass of water, the veins and 
walls of the stomach absorb this fluid as a dry sponge absorbs water, and 
while it circulates through the system, it dissolves all of the old worn-out 



300 



ON THE SKIN. 

Fig. 177. 




A section of the Skin from the Palm of the Hand, showing the thin layers of the Cuticle 
ahove, with the deposit of dark pigment beneath, and the Cutis Vera below. The Perspira- 
tory Follicles are seen imbedded in Fat and Cellular Tissues, below the Skin, and sending 
outwards little Spiral Tubes, about one quarter of an inch long, opening on the surface of 
the Cuticle. 

effete and poisonous elements and tissues of the body, like salt dissolved in 
water, holding them in solution, until washed out through these minute 
pores of the skin. 

Though exceedingly minute, these perspiratory follicles are found to ex- 
ist in great numbers in the human skin. Dr. Wilson after minute and 
patient investigation, aided by the best magnifying glasses at his command, 
has been able to count as many as three thousand five hundred of these 
little follicles in a single square inch of skin, taken from the palm of the 
hand. Now it is estimated, that on an average the whole human skin will 
measure about two thousand eight hundred square inches, and according 
to this estimate, there must be more than seven millions of these little per- 
spiratory follicles, like so many little drains, in the skin of each human 
being. Each of these little spiral pipes, which open out through the skin, 
being about one quarter of an inch long; if they were all united together, 
they would reach the enormous distance of one hundred and forty-five 
thousand feet, or more than twenty-eight miles in length. What an enormous 
system of drainage for the removal of all the poisonous and impure mat- 
ter from the system ! So extensive is this outlet through the perspiratory 
follicles of the skin, that it is estimated, that for every seven pounds of 
food and drink we take into the body through the mouth, five correspond- 
ing pounds come out through the pores of the skin, or about three pounds 
for every twenty-fours hours of our lives ! 



ON THE SKIN. 



301 



u Through the small perspiratory tubes, that pierce 

In endless millions the close-woven skin, 
The baser fluids in a constant stream 

Escape, and viewless melt into the winds. 
"While this eternal, this most copious waste, 

Of blood, degenerated into vapid brine, 
Maintains its wonted measure, all the powers 

Of health, befriend you, all the wheels of life 
With ease and pleasure move. But this restrained, 

Or more or less, so more or less you feel 
The functions labor. From this fatal source 

What woes descend, are never to be sung. 

Indeed, these minute pores of our skins, are the greatest outlet for the 
removal of all poisonous and effete matter from the system. No wonder 
then, that checked perspiration, has always been regarded as one of the 
most prolific causes of acute and chronic disease ; and no wonder that the 
judicious use of the bath, has always been regarded as one of the most em- 
cient and powerful means of preventing and curing them. 

Sebaceous Follicles op the Skin. 

Numerous little sebaceous follicles, shaped like Florence flasks, may be 
discovered in the skin, especially inside of the joints, and where it over-laps 



Fig. 178. 





Sebaceous Follicles, or oily Glands of 
the Skin. 



itself. These little follicles secrete an oily 
fluid from the blood, and pour it out upon 
the surface of the skin, for the purpose of 
diminishing friction, preventing irritation, 
chafing, &c. 

They may be found in large numbers 
upon those parts of the skin covering the 
most prominent features of the face, as 
upon the end of the nose, the forehead, 
chin, &c, where they secrete and pour out 
a large amount of oily fluid, designed to diminish friction, and prevent 
chapping and chafing of the skin, when exposed to cold, wind, &c. In 
persons of gross habits, eating large quantities of oily, and other stimu- 
lating diet, and drinking wine, beer, cider, &c, these follicles take on ex- 
cessive or diseased action, and pour out excessive quantities of this oily 
fluid, forming an oily coating like varnish, glazing the surface of the 
skin, and causing such an annoyance to many persons, especially ladies ! The 
best remedy for this condition of the skin, is a carefully regulated diet, 
avoiding the the use of fat meat, butter, oils, gravy, and other rich and 
stimulating diet, and the use of beer, wine, cider, &c. Eat plain, light, 
20 



302 ON THE SKIN. 

nourishing food, and drink milk or water only. Wash the skin daily with 
pure Castile soap and warm water ; wipe dry, and sponge the skin with 
Cologne water, or bay rum 1 

Some times the open mouths of these little follicles become filled with 
fine particles of dust, which float in the atmosphere around us, filling them 
with little black corks, called " black heads/' which arrest the discharge 
of this oily fluid, causing it to accumulate in these little follicles, which 
soon enlarge, and become inflamed, producing a little pimple, with a red 
base, and with a black speck in the centre, like a little cork in a vial. 
These little pimples upon the face, when very numerous, constitute that 
very common disease, so annoying to young persons of both sexes, called 
" acne punctata." When this disease is not speedily arrested, and cured 
by proper treatment, it will soon assume a chronic form, and the skin will 
become permanently red and thickened, and covered with scars, especially 
upon the end and sides of the nose and face, and is then known as u acne 
rosacea" as often seen upon persons of gross habits of eating, drinking, 
&c. To remove these pimples, and prevent their further formation, and 
to remove the redness and thickening of the skin, regulate the diet care- 
fully, use only light, nourishing, and easily digested food. Avoid the use 
of salt fish, ham, sausage, salt and smoked meats, old cheese, pastry, fat 
meats, oil, butter, gravy, &c, and the use of beer, wine, cider, whiskey, 
&c. Wash the face carefully with Castile soap and warm water, used as 
warm as it can be borne, when applied to the skin, twice a day ; wipe dry, 
and then apply a weak solution of sulphurous acid in glycerin, and allow 
it to remain upon the skin at night. The use of various cosmetics, pow- 
ders, &c, for the purpose of covering up and concealing such blemishes of 
the skin, cannot be too severely ridiculed and condemned. No person can 
fail to be amused when he meets a fair young lady upon the streets, with 
a complexion as white as chalk, and with eye-brows, looking, as if the last 
thing she had done before leaving home, was to dip her head in a flour 
barrel. Now we do protest most emphatically against any such extrava- 
gance, these hard times ; such expenses for flour , it is more than any poor 
man can stand I Only think of it, the very idea of a bashful young man, 
with a heart full of poetry and romance, kissing a young lady under such 
peculiar circumstances, and finding his mouth full of flour, and the young 
lady's complexion totally ruined ! My, how quickly all the poetry and 
romance of kissing would vanish with such a terrible reality ! No enamel 
de Paris can fully equal fine, white Castile soap and pure water, as an im- 
prover and preserver of the skin and complexion ! Thousands of human 
beings have totally ruined their complexions, by the injudicious applica- 
tion of these vile, dirty nostrums and powders to their skins ! 



on the skin. 303 

Cutaneous Absorption. 
The cutaneous absorbents are exceedingly minute knotted vessels, found 
in great numbers upon the fascia beneath the skin, and terminating in the 
lymphatic glands of the axilla, groin, neck, &c. When these minute ves- 
sels are injected with quicksilver, the whole surface of the fascia or second 
skin presents a bright shining metallic aspect, displaying a net-work of ab- 
sorbents beneath the skin, covering the whole muscular system. These 
little vessels are very active during life, in absorbing whatever may be 
brought in contact with them. If for instance, we apply a small quantity 
of tartar emetic, opium, belladonna or aconite, to the skin, cutaneous 
absorption is often so active, unless great care is used, as to produce alarm- 
ing poisonous effects upon the brain and nerves. If we remove the cuticle, 
and apply these poisonous substances directly to the cutaneous absorbents, 
fatal results will soon take place ; and hence in applying all ointments, 
composed of these poisonous substances, great care should be observed that 
the cuticle is not broken beneath the application. 

It will be easily seen how all medicines designed to act upon the blood, 
and to improve the constitution and general health, can be most readily 
introduced through the skin, in the form of ointments, lotions, baths, fumi- 
gations, &c. In fact this is often the safest, and by far the best method of 
treating scrofula, and many other constitutional diseases, depending upon 
the condition of the blood. Mercury, iodine, sulphur, and other very pow- 
erful and active remedies, may be safely and pleasantly introduced into the 
system in this way, without disturbing the stomach or impairing digestion, 
or injuring the constitution of the most delicate child or tender infant, 
and when the same remedy would not be tolerated by the stomach for a 
single moment. 

Having seen how active absorption takes place through the skin, and how 
all substances, poisonous and otherwise, may be readily introduced into the 
system through applications to the skin, it will be easily understood how 
important it is that the skin shall be kept clean, and free from all animal 
accumulations, and other poisonous and impure substances. In fact, if we 
do not wash the skin daily, and remove all of these poisonous secretions 
and animal accumulations, then they will surely be absorbed into the sys- 
tem, poisoning the blood, enlarging the glands, and poisoning all of the 
fountains of health. 

Uses and Abuses op Clothing. 

Clothing should be worn by human beings as a covering, and also to 
diminish the injurious influence of sudden changes of temperature, cli- 
mate, &c. Experience shows, that man can endure with safety, great 
extremes of heat and cold, if the changes are gradual, and not too violent, 



304 ON THE SKIN. 

" nature abhors all sudden extremes." Indeed, it will always be noticed in 
the Winter season, after what is called the "cold term" that we have a 
large increase of death, among old and young people, especially. Now it 
is the object of clothing to diminish the injurious effects of such violent 
changes of temperature, as are inseparable from our climate. To secure 
these results, it is evident our clothing should be a good non-conductor of 
heat. Experiments demonstrate that woolen is the best non-conductor of 
heat, and for this reason, woolen garments are the most healthy, then cot- 
ton, then linen, and last of all silk. It would have been a cruel dispensa- 
tion of providence, had the Creator rendered silk the most favorable 
to health, as an article of clothing, in view of its expensiveness, which 
would place it beyond the reach of the poor and infirm. But again our 
clothing should be sufficiently open and porous, to allow the free escape of 
perspiration, and at the same time permit free cutaneous respiration. It is 
estimated, that a man breathes one-eighth part as much air through his 
skin, as through his lungs, when in perfect health. If you would like to 
witness this cutaneous respiration in your own persons, take a bath, and 
while you rest quietly in the water, notice the bubbles of air as they accu- 
mulate upon the surface of the skin, and finally disengaging themselves 
rise to the surface of the water. If collected and examined, these air-bub- 
bles will be found to be carbonic acid gas, the same as that exhaled from 
the lungs in breathing. 

Experiments prove, that if we cover the skin of any animal, with an 
impenetrable coating of varnish, it will soon sicken and die. What an 
admonition to all consumptives, and persons with weak lungs. Oiled silk, 
and all rubber clothing, if worn for any length of time, is unfavorable to 
health, inasmuch as it diminishes cutaneous absorption, and prevents the 
free escape of perspiration. If worn at all, it should be for a very short 
period at a time. 

The amount of clothing we require for perfect health, will depend upon 
age, temperament, &c. The average temperature of the human body in 
middle life, is from ninety-six to ninety-eight degrees, and this is termed 
blood heat, and does not vary, as many people would suppose, in Winter and 
Summer, and in warm and cold climates. In infancy and in old age, the 
temperature of the body is several degrees lower than this. Now this 
most important physiological fact, teaches us, that old people and young 
children, require more clothing than persons in middle life, who are yet full 
of vitality, and constitutional vigor. No wonder we notice in our vital 
statistics, such a great increase in the number of deaths, during the cold 
season, among children and old people. In one of the late reports of the 
American Medical Association, it is stated, that at least one-sixth part of 
all those children, in our country, who die under one year old, perish for 



ON THE SKIN. 305 

want of adequate clothing, and yet we presume to send missionaries to for- 
eign lands, to teach ignorant and benighted heathen how to live. A distin- 
guished French physician, who died in Paris recently, observed that he 
had no doubt but that in his own practise, more than twenty thousand lit- 
tle children had died for want of adequate clothing. 

Experiment will show, that the human body is warmest near the heart, 
and coldest near the extremities, and that consequently, we should dress the 
extremities warmest. Keep the feet and limbs warm, especially in tender in- 
fancy and feeble old age, if you would enjoy good health, and attain long life. 

As I dwell upon this most important point, I am painfully reminded 
that it is not reason or an enlightened conscience, that determines the kind 
and amount of clothing worn in tender infancy, but rather the dictates 
of custom and fashion Thoughtless, idle and frivolous mothers, think 
that even their children must be dressed like themselves — for display — to 
exhibit those beautiful white arms and snowy bosoms — often in mid-winter, 
to gratify the mother's vanity, and challenge the admiration of all her fe- 
male acquaintances and friends. Now, when the cold chilling frosts come, 
they will not stop to consider the vanity and thoughtless ignorance of the 
child's mother. 

The seasons change from heat to cold, and obey the eternal laws of na- 
ture^ and when the frosts come, they will penetrate all exposed and unpro- 
tected objects. Those bare limbs, and that tender and unprotected bosom, 
only invite the attack of croup, diphtheria, and other diseases ; and pain, 
suffering, and death, are only some of the awful penalties which nature 
inflicts upon all those who will violate her laws. Indeed, it is impossible 
to estimate the amount of misery, wretchedness, and suffering, in infancy 
and feeble old age, produced by want of sufficient clothing ! How often 
we shall be painfully reminded of these facts, as we walk the fashionable 
streets of Boston, New York and Philadelphia, during the cold "Winter 
months. Here you may meet mothers, on every hand, muffled in furs, 
and warm Winter clothing, holding by the tiny fingers some pale little waif, 
a mere shadow of what a child ought to be, dressed in the fashionable at- 
tire of the day ; coming down only to the knees ; short cotton stockings, 
and paper-soled shoes, with parts of its legs as bare as when born into this 
world, and all "purple with cold!" This is, indeed, our Saint Bartholo- 
mew, our murder of the innocents ! While we must witness such painful 
scenes as these every day, during the long, cold Winter, it often seems to 
me as if the very air was heavy with the swelling sighs, that come up from 
our numerous church yards, where many a little, tender, innocent child, 
now sleeps its last sleep, and whose epitaph should be " murdered by its 
own mother !" 



306 ON THE SKIN. 

Again, our clothing should be frequently washed, and ventilated. Many 
diseases have their origin in impure under-clothing I Plague, cholera, 
small pox, and many other pestilent diseases, have their origin in, and are 
propagated and extended in this way. No wonder that such diseases pre- 
vail among that class of people who pay little attention to nature's law of 
cleanliness, in this respect. "When we see silks, satins, and broad cloths, of 
the finest texture and quality, worn as outside garments, it does not always 
indicate the character of the clothing worn next the skin. No physician 
can practise his profession very long, without often being painfully re- 
minded of these facts. Remove the under garments worn next the skin 
during the day, at night, throw them over the chair, and give them a tho- 
rough ventilation. Change and cleanse often Indeed, the condition of 
the under-clotliing is often strikingly indicative of the character of the 
person who wears it. 



BATHING. 307 



LECTURE XXIX. 

BATHING. 

" Cleanliness is next to Godliness." We should wash the hody all over 
daily, for the same reason that we should wash our face and hands, for 
cleanliness, and as a means of promoting health, strength, grace, beauty and 
long life. Very few persons, unaccustomed to the daily use of the bath, 
have any adequate idea how much it tends to promote cleanliness of the 
body, and purity of the mind. 

" With us the man of no complaint demands 

The cold ablution, just enough to clear 

The sluices of the skin — enough to keep 

The body sacred from indecent soil. 

Still, to be pure, even did it not conduce 

As much it does to health, 'twere greatly worth 

Your daily pains ! 'tis this adorns the rich; 

The want of it is poverty's worst woe ; 

With this external virtue, age maintains 

A decent grace ; without it youth's charms 

Are loathsome ! " 
As a means of removing congestion, equalizing the circulation of the 
blood, and allaying that irritability of the nervous system, which is the 
bane and misery of countless millions of the human race, the bath, followed 
by vigorous friction, has no equal. 

Many of those who are only accustomed to wash their hands and face 
every day, will shudder at the very idea of washing the skin all over their 
body daily. Every one is ready to admit, that washing the face and hands 
often, refreshes and invigorates the whole system, when exhausted by toil, 
and yet they do not appear to understand, that when the bath is extended 
over the whole surface of the body, the refreshing and invigorating influ- 
ences will be as much greater, as the whole surface of the body is more exten- 
sive than the face and hands. Indeed, it is impossible to find language 
adequate, to exaggerate the pleasures and enjoyments of the bath. No 
stimulus to the brain is so exhilarating, none so delightful, and none so 
safe, when it is used judiciously. 

No intelligent person can fail to be amazed, when he observes how few 
of the people of this country avail themselves of this source of healthful 
daily pleasure and enjoyment. Indeed it is feared, that many people would 
not wash their face and hands, if it was not for appearances. If the face 
and hands were only covered with clothing, and hidden from observation, 



308 BATHING. 

like the rest of the body, it is probable that they would not receive any 
more attention. In decent society, dirty faces and hands are scouted, 
only because they offend the eye. If they were only covered from view, 
there would be no objection. 

Not long since, a very beautiful and accomplished young lady in Massa- 
chusetts, told the author, that she bathed once or twice a day for economy. 
Being at a loss to understand her, she continued, "0, yes! it is a very 
great saving ! for when I bathe myself every day, it costs nothing for per- 
fumery ! " 

The daily use of the bath not only promotes personal cleanliness and re- 
finement, but it cultivates self respect and dignity, and is so significant 
and indicative of character. Whenever the author meets ladies powdered 
and perfumed in the most approved and fashionable style, he often feels 
very much inclined to suspect them upon the very point, judging from 
their habits, that they would impress him in the most favorable manner, 
and he is often reminded of the couplet of rare old Ben Jonson, which 
is to the point. 

" Still to be powdered, still perfumed, 

Lady ! it is to be presumed, 

Though arts hid causes are not found, 

Yet all is not sweet, all is not sound. 

It is probable, that few persons would ever use perfumery, in view of its 
great expense, if they did not require it. Not long since, while riding on 
the cars, from New York city to Boston, being seated near a poor blind 
old lady, from Bridgeport, who was enjoying her first trip upon the cars, 
and seemed delighted with all of the incidents of the journey until we 
reached New Haven. At this point a number of elegantly dressed ladies, 
powdered, and perfurmed with musk to the highest point of toleration, 
seated themselves near this blind old lady. When she soon began to express 
her disgust in loud tones by exclaiming: " I can smell a muskrat, I am sure 
I can ! " Any one can fancy what these perfumed ladies thought of them- 
selves, at being mistaken for such filthy animals. Often while attending 
our fashionable churches, since that time, the author can scarcely suppress 
a smile, as he is forced to imagine, with the poor blind old lady, that he can 
smell a muskrat. 

But many people will tremble at the very idea of bathing the skin all 
over the body, once a day, for fear of taking cold. "Don't believe in it." 
"Will catch a deadly cold," &c. All such remarks remind me of a young 
lady, from Portland, who was spending the Summer months with her aunt, 
living in Bucksport, Maine. Being accustomed to the daily use of the 
bath while at home, she was in the habit of carrying a bucket of water to 
her room, for use the next morning. One evening she was noticed by her 



BATHING. 309 

aunt, who anxiously inquired, what on earth are you doing with so much 
water ? Why ! said her niece, " I bathe myself to be sure every morning." 
" Bathe yourself! you don't bathe all over do you ? " "Yes I do." " Well 
you had better be careful or you will certainly kill yourself. Why I have 
not had any cold water over my vital parts, for more than forty years." 
And sure enough, there was no doubt of it, for her skin was as yellow as 
saffron, and about as dry as a dried apple. 

Invalids, and those unaccustomed to bathe daily, should begin with a 
wet sponge in a warm room. Stand upon an oil cloth, and hold the wet 
sponge to the nape of the neck, squeeze the sponge gently, so that only a 
few drops of water will run down the spine, wipe dry, and rub the back 
vigorously. The next day you may apply the water a little more freely, 
and so on ! In this way, the surface of the skin, subject to the use of the 
bath, may be gradually extended, without any danger of catching cold. 
It is only violent and sudden changes that are painful and dangerous ! 

The author remembers once advising a gentleman, living in Philadel- 
phia, who was subject to frequent attacks of rheumatism, to use the cold 
sponge, or shower bath daily, followed by vigorous friction of the skin, as 
a means of permanent relief, when he looked at him, the picture of amaze- 
ment ! " Ah 1" said he, " doctor, take any shape but that. Why, I 
bathed myself once, about twenty years ago, and I caught such a terrible 
cold I" " Well," the author replied, " my good friend, I presume you were 
not accustomed to bathe, were you ?" " No, neither before or since, to my 
recollection !" The author then told him the reason why he caught cold, 
was, because " he took off too much at once, and so let the cold air sud- 
denly down to his skin ; and that all violent changes were painful and 
dangerous !" 

The danger of taking cold while bathing, will very much depend upon 
our manner of bathing. Many persons, while preparing for the bath, are 
so exceedingly imprudent, commencing in such an indolent way ; divesting 
themselves of their clothing, one article at a time, and so slowly, you would 
think they were going to their own execution. And then they stand and 
shiver in the cold, dreading the fatal plunge into the terrible bath, until 
they are chilled through and through. Or they crawl up towards the bath 
tub, at about the same pace one would use, if going to his grandmother's 
funeral ; and finally, after they have washed themselves so slowly, that 
they are chilled through, when they come out of the bath, they discover 
that they have forgotten the towels, and have to hunt for them all over 
the house, in the cold, and when they at last find the towels, they do not 
rub hard and briskly, for fear it will rub the skin all off! Now, it is no 
wonder that such persons catch cold, while bathing, for they are too lazy 
to keep from catching it at any time. Bathe as the author directs, and 



310 BATHING. 

lie will guarantee that no one will take cold in doing so. Begin with the 
sponge bath, in a warm room. If an invalid, gradually increase the sur- 
face of the skin exposed to the influence of the bath ; and rub very briskly 
afterwards. After a few weeks, resort to the wet towel, followed by tho- 
rough dry rubbing, and then the plunge bath, &c. If any person begins 
systematic bathing, and goes on as the author directs, and he catches cold, 
the author will pay all the expenses, and if he dies, will see that he has as 
good a funeral as any one, at his expense. If you use a plunge bath, it 
should be in a warm room, particularly, if you are an invalid, and then 
you will require at least three large, soft dry towels, to wipe the skin dry, 
and one good Turkish bath towel, or bath strap, and hair mittens. Now, to 
render the plunge bath both safe and beneficial, it ought to be done in the 
most thorough and rapid manner. No time for dreamy meditation, as 
you stand before the cold plunge bath, but action, vigorous action ! Quickly 
remove your clothing, and plunge into the water ! Do not remain to soak 
yourself, like a dried apple, but wash yourself quickly and thoroughly, and 
as soon as this is completed, bounce out of the bath, and wipe your skin 
dry immediately, commencing with your face, head, shoulders, &c. Now, 
seize your coarse Turkish bath towel, or hair mittens, and rub your skin 
briskly, until it is all aglow with heat, and as red as a " boiled lobster." 
Put on your clothing, and take a walk, no matter how cold the weather, 
there is no danger of catching cold. It is in this way, the author has 
used the bath daily, for many years. Experience has taught him, that it 
is safe, and the only sure method of avoiding those periodical attacks of 
colds and influenza, so common to those who do not bathe daily during 
the Winter season. In a very short time, the bath, when used in this 
way, becomes one of the greatest luxuries of life ! 

It is amusing to see how many people begin housekeeping with costly 
furniture, an elegant piano, and no bath tub ! Now, if you would enjoy 
one of the most exhilarating pleasures of existence, so promotive of health 
and moral purity, the first thing, on commencing housekeeping, after you 
purchase a bread pan, is to get a bath tub. Many of the noblest, bravest, 
and truest men, whose lives we have any knowledge of, used the bath daily. 
While at Washington, many years since, the late John Quincy Adams in- 
formed the author, that he had used the bath daily for more than forty 
years. Dr. Benjamin Franklin attributed much of his extraordinary health 
and vigor in old age, to the daily use of the bath, followed by friction of 
the skin. 

Moral Influence of the Bath. 

When we reflect upon the intimate relations between the mind and the 
body, during life, we can easily understand that it will be impossible to 



BATHING. 311 

exaggerate the moral influence of the bath ! " Know ye not that this body- 
is the temple of the living soul, and he who defiles this temple of the liv- 
ing soul, him also will G-od destroy !" Indeed, there is always the most 
constant relation between purity of the body and purity of the mind. 
External purity, purity of body, and internal purity, purity of the mind, 
harmonize and sympathize with each other ! External corruption and im- 
purity, and internal or moral impurity, harmonize and agree with each 
other ! Look at the man covered with filth and corruption, reeking with 
the fumes of whiskey and tobacco, slobbering and spitting on himself, and 
insulting his own nature and manhood ; and then listen to his profane lan- 
guage, low jibes, vulgar jokes, and filthy insinuations. " Cleanliness is, in- 
deed, next to Godliness I" 

While recently conversing with a distinguished orthodox clergyman and 
missionary, in New York, he observed, " Doctor, I will tell you, after nearly 
forty years experience as to the best means of promoting Christian culture, 
I have made up my mind that Christianity begins in soap and water !" 
Count Rumford, in one of his splendid Essays to young men, declares that 
he had never yet seen a very great criminal who was scrupulously tidy, 
neat, and cleanly in his person. 

This is the purest exercise for health, 
The sweetest refresher from the Summer's heat. 
Even from the body's purity, the mind 
Receives a secret sympathetic aid. 

In all ages of the world, among cultivated nations, the bath has always 
been held in the highest estimation. In the palmiest days of Greece and 
Rome, their baths were constructed out of costly marble, and were dedi- 
cated in solemn service to the gods, to Hercules, Venus, Minerva, and Apollo, 
and were appropriated to the use of every citizen, as a powerful means of 
promoting health, strength, grace, beauty and long life ! 

Diseases of the Skin. 

The skin is generally regarded by the majority of persons, as that cov- 
ering which invests the outside surface of the human body, as a means of 
protecting the vital organs located within. Now this is but a very limited 
and imperfect view of the extent and uses of the skin, for it is not only 
thrown around the outside of the human body, for the purposes before 
mentioned, but it is also reflected inwards through the mouth, so as to form 
the lining surface of the stomach and intestinal canal, and also through the 
nose, to form the lining surface of the lungs. The skin or mucous mem- 
brane, which lines the digestive canal, is estimated to be more than five 
times as extensive as that which covers the whole body, and the skin or 
mucous membrane which lines the air-tube, more than forty times as exten- 



312 BATHING. 

sive as that which covers the outside surface of the body. A more perfect 
knowledge of the extent of the human skin, is very important in a practi- 
cal point of view. Since it is a well established physiological law, that all 
organs of the human body of like structure, nature and uses sympathize 
with each other, in health and disease. Our eyes resemble each other in 
structure, nature and uses, and how intimately they sympathize with each 
other in health and disease. If for instance we accidently injure one of 
our eyes, how quickly, under this general law of sympathy, the inflamma- 
tion will extend to the other eye, often endangering its destruction. So in 
regard to the skin covering the surface of the body, and the mucous mem- 
brane lining the vital organs. If we expose our skins without suitable 
protection, to the influence of cold, how quickly the chill received by the 
skin, will under this law of sympathy, be reflected upon the lining surface 
of the throat, causing croup, quinsey, diphtheria, &c, and upon the lining 
surface of the nose, lungs, stomach and bowels, causing catarrh, bronchitis, 
diarrhoea, and other diseases of the mucous membranes. Indeed so power- 
ful is the influence of this law of sympathy, that Baron Depuytren, the 
distinguished French surgeon, asserts that death will always follow, when 
one-half of the skin covering the body has been accidently burned to a 
blister, with scalding water, causing sympathetic irritation and inflamma- 
tion of the mucous membrane lining the vital organs. 

It is doubtless this fact which gives origin to the common remark, after 
the terrible explosions which sometimes occur upon our lake and river 
steamers, that persons so injured may recover, if not " scalded internally" 
What a long catalogue of diseases of the mucous membranes lining the 
vital organs of the human body are produced by impressions first received 
upon the skin ! Catarrh, quinsey, croup, diphtheria, bronchitis, diarrhoea, 
and many other diseases, have their origin in this way ! Keep the skin 
clean, and well protected from the injurious influence of sudden changes 
of temperature, as one of the most important means of preserving health, 
and prolonging human life ! 

But again, see how injurious impressions first received upon the mucous 
membrane lining the stomach and other organs, will under the influence 
of this law of sympathy, be reflected upon the skin, covering the outside 
surface of the human body, producing some of the most painful and in- 
veterate diseases of the skin. If for instance, a mother nurses her infant 
too frequently, or too freely, or feeds it upon improper food, causing de- 
rangement of the stomach and organs of digestion, with a furred tongue 
and foul breath, how often this irritation of the mucous membrane will be 
reflected upon the child's skin, over the neck and shoulders, causing stroph- 
ulous or the " red gum," an infantile disease of the skin, with fine, bright 
red, pimples, and which ouickly passes away, by correcting the child's diet! 



BATHING. 313 

Again if little children, are permitted to eat large quantities of sour, unripe, 
or imperfect fruit, in the Fall or Winter season, often causing irritation and 
derangement of the organs of digestion, how soon this irritation will be 
reflected upon the skin, causing numerous fine, white pimples, about the 
lips and corners of the mouth, which may extend over various parts of 
the face in little clusters, known as herpes, cold sores, or a "breaking out/' 
and which eruption, is often incorrectly supposed to depend upon some im- 
purity of the blood ! If during the Winter season we eat large quantities of 
hot buck-wheat cakes, fried in good old strong " Ohio lard/' causing irrita- 
tion and inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the digestive canal, 
how soon this irritation under this law of sympathy, will be reflected upon 
our skin, causing numerous fine white vesicles, upon our skin, in various 
parts of the body, especially on the back of the hands, inside of the joints 
of the body, and between the fingers, known as eczema, and popularly 
called the " buck- wheat rash" or salt rheum, and erroneously supposed to de- 
pend upon impurity of the blood. The same is true of many other dis- 
eases of the skin, which depend entirely upon mechanical irritation of the 
mucous membrane, produced by the use of irritating and unwholesome food. 
Indeed, it is not amazing, when we see the quantities of horseradish, mus- 
tard, pepper-sauce, red pepper, &c, which human beings swallow into their 
stomachs, that their skins become red, irritable, inflamed, and covered with 
pimples and sores. The texture color and general appearance of the skin, 
which covers the human body, is but a reflection of the condition of the 
mucous membrane, which lines the digestive canal, and is strikingly indica- 
tive of a person's physiological habits. A thin, transparent, pearly, elastic 
and beautiful skin, indicates a temperate and abstemious life ; while a face 
covered with a coarse, thick skin, studded all over with pimples, posies 
and blossoms, indicates a person of gross habits and unphysiological life, 
and is suggestive of strong coffee, brandy, old cheese, ham, sausage, mus- 
tard, &c. From these illustrations it will be easily understood, that it will 
be useless to try to cure diseases of the skin, without careful regulation of 
the diet! 

Many persons, with no very brilliant imaginations, can fancy what must 
be the appearance of the mucous membrane lining their stomach and 
bowels from the condition of their skins. When they look at their own 
faces, they will no longer wonder that they have painful digestion, acidity 
of the stomach, heart-burn, flatulency, &c. 

The Hairs. 

The skin contains numerous little thimble-shaped depressions, called hair 
follicles, at the bottom of which may be seen a small nipple-shaped papillae, 
from which the hairs grow. The hairs are cylindrical shaped, containing a 



314 



BATHING. 



cavity at the bulb or root, which fits over the papillae like a thimble over the 
end of your finger. The skin also contains numerous little sebaceous follicles 
or oil glands, as seen in fig. 179, some of which open into the hair follicles, and 
secrete an oily fluid, which is constantly poured out into the hair follicles, 
and spread over the hairs, to keep them soft and silky, and prevent them from 
becoming dry and brittle. Sometimes these little follicles becomes choked 
up or closed, from accumulations of dandruff, scurf, &c, causing this oily 
Fig. 179. matter to accumulate in the sebaceous fol- 

licles, which finally become enlarged form- 
ing a little tumor, called a wen. These 
little tumors can only be prevented, by 
washing the scalp frequently with a solu- 
tion of borax, or soap and water. Wens 
can only be cured by their removal. Make 
a small opening through the scalp over the 
surface of the wen, and the little sac filled 
with accumulated sebaceous matter will be 
found laying loose beneath the scalp, and 
is readily forced out through the opening, 
by a little gentle pressure. When ne- 
glected or improperly treated, these little 
wens may gradually increase in size, until 
they weigh several ounces. The author has 
frequently removed from one to twenty 
from the head of one person. 

When these little sebaceous follicles or 
oil glands of the scalp, become torpid and 
A Hair growing from a Papiiise at the inactive, and do not secrete and pour out 
bottom of a Hair Follicle. fafe oily fluid) to lubricate and soften the 

hairs, the scalp becomes dry and irritable, and is often covered with dand- 
ruff or scurf, which if allowed to accumulate, only increases the irritation 
of the scalp, causing the hairs to become dry and brittle, and finally to 
sicken and fall out, &c. For the purpose of cleansing an irritable or in- 
flamed scalp, and opening the sebaceous follicles or oil glands, &c, nothing 
is equal to fresh albumen. Break one or two fresh eggs into a cup, beat 
them slightly with a spoon, and use them as you would soap, for the purpose 
of shampooing the scalp. Apply a little at a time to the scalp, and rub 
briskly with your hands, until it forms an abundant lather, cleansing the 
scalp and roots of the hair, opening the mouths of the obstructed oil glands, 
&c. Then wash off with cold or warm water, and wipe dry. As soon as 
the scalp has been cleansed and wiped dry, apply a little of the following 
scalp wash or renovator : aromatic spirits of ammonia, one ounce ; tincture 




BATHING. 315 

of cantharides, one ounce ; glycerin, eight ounces ; water, one pint. Mix. 
"Wet the scalp and rub well with your hands, or a soft brush. 

It will be seen that each little papillae is abundantly supplied with blood 
vessels and nerves, and when the hairs are shed or extracted by violence, 
as long as the papillae continue in a healthy condition, and receive a 
proper supply of rich, pure blood, it will very soon reproduce another hair. 

The hairs being appendages of the skin, resemble it very much in their 
structure. Like the skin, they consist of an outside cuticular layer, and an 
inside cortical substance, with a central peth or axis, extending from one 
extremity of the hair to the other. The outside surface of the hairs is 
composed of numerous colorless, transparent, flattened cells, arranged very 
much like the scales of a fish, or over-lapping each other like the shingles 
or slate upon a roof. The edges of these scale like cells, are seen to pro- 
ject outwards from the roots of the hairs, which causes them always to 
move in an outward direction when rubbed between the thumb and fingers. 

The inward cortical substance of the hairs constitutes their principal part, 
and is also the portion upon which the color depends. It is composed of 
numerous flexible fibres, which often become split up like a broom at the 
ends, when the hairs become dry, and are exposed to the influence of fric- 
tion. For this reason it is necessary to frequently clip the ends of the 
hairs, to preserve their health and promote their growth. 

Growth and Decay of the Hair. 

All animals shed their feathers and hair when " moulting" and for this 
reason, the plumage of birds, and the fur and hair of all animals, are inferior 
at certain seasons of the year. Birds and animals shed their plumage and 
hairs much more frequently when in an unhealthy or diseased condition. 
In fact, the appearance of the plumage of birds, and the hair of animals, 
indicate very perfectly the state of their health, or their constitutional con- 
dition. It will always be noticed how the hairs die, and fall out of the 
hair follicles after any illness, which impairs the constitution. Very much 
may be ascertained by a careful examination of a curl of hair, from the scalp 
of an invalid, as to the state of the constitution, and general health. 

Premature decay, and loss of the hairs, and change of color, may de- 
pend upon loss of vitality, or impoverishment of the blood, caused either by 
sickness or by dissipation. All enervating or irregular habits, or exhaust- 
ing constitutional diseases, which impoverish the blood, and impair the 
general health, will cause the hairs to bleach or turn grey, and fall out 
prematurely. When the hairs of animals, and the plumage of birds die, and 
fall out of the follicles during the moulting season, new ones will soon be re- 
produced by the papillae, as long as they remain in a healthy condition, and 
sufficient pure, rich blood is sent to them, to develop the hairs. Perma- 



316 BATHING. 

nent baldness depends upon complete atrophy of the papillae, or impover- 
ishment of the blood. "When the papillae wither, and shrivel, and finally 
disappear, the hairs cannot be reproduced ; or when the blood becomes 
thin and poor, and no longer contains an abundance of those elements ne- 
cessary for the growth and formation of the hair, they cannot be repro- 
duced until the blood is renewed and restored to a healthy condition. It 
is well known that there is no disease so destructive to the growth and 
beauty of the human hair, as constitutional syphilis ! 

Again, premature decay, and loss of the hairs, as well as change of color, 
may depend upon certain local causes, such as favus, ptyriasis, or dandruff, 
&c. "When these diseases of the scalp are improperly treated or neglected, 
they will soon cause the loss of the hair, kc. For the permanent cure of 
these inveterate diseases of the scalp, it should be washed night and morning 
with Castile soap and warm water, and a little of the following lotion should 
be well rubbed into it : glycerin three ounces, sulphurous acid one ounce. 

"Want of personal cleanliness, and thorough ventilation of the scalp, is 
a frequent cause of the premature decay and loss of the hairs. To pro- 
mote a vigorous growth, and to preserve the hairs, wash the scalp tho- 
roughly with soap and warm water, at least once a week ; wipe dry, and 
if the hairs are harsh, dry and brittle, apply a few drops of pure inodor- 
ous glycerin, and rub it well into the scalp and roots of the hairs, with 
your hands, or a soft brush. This will remove dandruff, and other im- 
purities, keep the scalp clean, and the hair moist, soft, and silky. 

Again, the scalp is often injured, and the hairs become diseased, die, 
and fall out, from the accumulation of moisture, and want of sufficient 
ventilation. The fashionable stove-pipe hat, worn by many people at the 
present day, being composed of impervious materials, prevents the escape 
of perspiration, and causes the scalp to become moist and hot, when the 
hairs sicken, die, and fall out, all over the top of the head, leaving only 
a little strip of hair around the base of the scalp, below the hat. If many 
gentlemen could only draw this fashionable u sweat-box" down on their 
heads an inch lower, it would take every hair out of their scalp as clean 
as the palm of your hand. 

It has often been noticed, that savages, who wear no covering upon their 
heads, never lose their hair, nor does it turn prematurely grey ! And 
again, where we find one woman wearing a light open hat or bonnet behind 
or on top of her head, who is bald, we shall find at least one thousand men, 
who wear the present fashionable stove-pipe, or steam-box, steaming or 
scalding the hair all off their heads ! Soft, porous felt hats, or hats with 
large openings, or a ventilator in the crown, and worn only for short pe- 
riods at a time, are most favorable for the growth and preservation of the 
hair. 



BATHING. 317 

Carefully avoid the use of all hair colorings, or dyes, made out of sul- 
phur, sugar of lead, and nitrate of silver, and other poisonous chemicals, 
which are notoriously capable of being absorbed into the blood, poisoning 
the brain, and nervous system, causing headaches, palsy and death. Hair 
oils, and dressings made out of old rancid butter, and other animal and 
vegetable oils, and filthy mixtures, composed of fetid grease and gum tra- 
gacanth, and loaded with perfumery, should be avoided, as not only offens- 
ive, but exceedingly injurious to the scalp, and very destructive to the 
hair. When the hairs are dry and brittle, a few drops of glycerin will 
moisten the hair, and render it soft and silky, and at the same time it is 
cleanly, being readily soluble in water, and washed off the scalp, hair, or 
clothing, with water alone. As a dressing for the hair, it is incomparably 
superior to anything ever used for that purpose. 

Diseases of the Scalp in Infancy. 

For the removal of hardened incrustations on the scalp, in infancy, poul- 
tices made of potatoe starch or arrow root, are far preferable to those made 
of bread, or linseed meal or slippery elm bark. When soap is too irritating, 
use oatmeal gruel in place of soap, to wash and cleanse the scalp. As soon as 
the scalp has been well cleansed, then apply a little diluted citrine ointment. 
Citrine ointment, one drachm; fresh lard, one ounce; or sulphurous acid, 
one ounce; glycerin, three ounces, then attend to the diet. Select the 
kind of food that appears to agree the best. Boiled milk and good stale 
wheat bread, will usually agree the best. Small doses of rhubarb and 
magnesia will often complete the cure. Rhubarb ten grains, magnesia fif- 
teen grains. Mix and divide into four powders. Give one, night and 
morning. When there is much inflammation of the scalp, apply a weak 
solution of Goulard's extract, two or three times a day, and when the in- 
flammation subsides, apply the solution of sulphurous acid and glycerin 
as before mentioned. Ringworm of the scalp is best treated, by the local 
application of aromatic vinegar, or application of lunar caustic. 

In some forms of eczema, and more especially of impetigo, all ointments 
and greasy applications are not only useless but injurious. In all such 
cases, the cure must depend on cleanliness and internal remedies. 

Dandruff or Scurf of the Head. 

This disease of the scalp often attacks the heads of adults, and is very 
annoying, and may be often cured by sulphur water, prepared as follows : 
put one ounce of flowers of sulphur in a quart of water, shake this up well 
several times for twenty-four hours, pour off the clear liquid, and wet the 
scalp with it every morning. 



21 



318 DISEASES OF THE SEJN. 



LECTURE XXX. 
DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



Cutaneous eruptions rank among the opprobia of medical science, and are 
designated by a modern author as " obstinate" intractable, and often in- 
curable ! 

Inexperienced practitioners frequently excuse their inability to remove 
these maladies, by explaining to their patients, that the skin forms a kind 
of safety-valve, when attacked by disease, and is an outlet through which 
various morbid matters escape in the form of an eruption. It is argued that 
the internal and more vital organs of the body are thus saved from diseased 
action by its transferrence to the skin. 

The sufferer is then dismissed with the recommendation to endure a 
lesser evil, rather than incur the risk of a greater. All such reasoning 
can soon be shown to be as fallacious as it is comfortless, for happily new 
means of cure have been discovered which render most of these complaints 
as amenable to treatment as any other diseases to which our bodies are 
liable. 

Until the close of the last century, there was no classified arrangement 
of skin diseases, and it is only within the last quarter of a century, that a 
remedy long previously known in the treatment of other diseases, but the 
medical action of which was undetermined, was discovered to be a specific in 
many disease of the skin, previously considered incurable. 

All diseases of the skin are divided into the following orders, or families, 
from their fancied resemblance to each other. 

Order 1, Papulae or pimples, 

2, Squamae or scales, 

3, Exanthemata or Rashes, 

4, Bullae or blisters, 

5, Pustulae or postules, 

6, Vesiculae or vesicles, 

7, Tuberculae or tubercles, 

8, Maculae or spots. 

Papula or Pimples. 
This family of cutaneous affections includes all of these diseases of the 
skin characterized by the eruption of great multitudes of little pimples, 
containing no fluid of any kind, and which soon terminate in a dry scurf. 
Under this head may be enumerated, strophulus, lichen and prurigo. 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



319 



Fig. 180. 




Strophulus is an infantile disease of 
the skin, commonly called "red gum," 
because the pimples are of a bright red 
color. When this disease is properly 
treated, the eruption soon passes away. 

This disease is caused by fermentation 
of the food in the stomach, and the in- 
testinal canal, and the formation of an 
acid, which is the product of this fer- 
mentation, and is absorbed into the 
blood, poisoning and vitiating this im- 
portant fluid. Under such circumstan- 
ces, the secretions are all loaded with 
acids, the clothing emits a sour odor, 
and the skin is covered with an acid 
perspiration, causing great irritation, 
inflammation, itching, &c. 

Lichen. When the same disease affects strophulus or $ed Gum. 

the adult, it is called lichen, of which there are three varieties,, lichen sim- 
plex, commonly called ''prickly heat," which is very common in tropical cli- 
mates, and during the warm season of the year. This disease varies much 
in degree. In some cases it is very slight and easily cured, while in other 
cases, when it has been neglected or improperly treated, it becomes very 
stubborn and difficult of cure. From constant scratching the sldn becomes 
torn, and bleeds, causing the disease to be easily mistakenfor the common 
itch. 

Lichen urticatus. This variety of lichen differs from the other forms 
of this disease of the skin, in the formation of little wheels or circles around 
the pimples, looking much like a " bee sting," and it is commonly called 
the "nettle rash." It is caused from errors of diet, and sudden changes 
of temperature. 

Lichen agrius. This is an inflamed and aggravated form of lichen, and 
is frequently mistaken for eczema and psoriasis. It occurs most frequently 
on the hands of those who handle irritating powders, and for this reason it 
has often been called "bakers' itch," or "grocers' itch," from the fact that 
bakers and grocers are very liable to this form of disease of the skin. 

Treatment. The diet must be well regulated for the cure of this dis- 
ease of the skin. Avoid the use of those kinds of food containing much 
starch or sugar, or which will easily ferment, such as raw milk, fruits, veg- 
etables, fresh cakes or breads, tea, coffee, &c. Eat cooked or boiled milk, 
stale bread, and butter, with oatmeal or white corn mush, rice, sago, tapioca, 



320 



DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 




farina, and soup made of barley and a piece of lamb, mutton or chicken, 

well cooked. Take a teaspoonful of Rochelle salts every morning in a 

Fig. 181. glass of water. Wash the 

skin night and morning 
in a weak alkaline bath, 
containing one pound of 
carbonate of soda, to thir- 
ty gallons of water for a 
full bath, or for a sponge 
bath, a teaspoonful of sal- 
eratus to a quart of warm 
water. Weak alkaline 
baths will be found supe- 
rior to all other remedies, 
to arrest the intolerable 
itching, which accompa- 
nies this family of dis- 
Lichen Simplex. eases of the skin. 

Prurigo. The name of this disease is derived from the Latin, to itch, 
on account of its ceaseless irritation. It is often called " the old man's 
itch," or "prurigo senilis." In this disease of the skin, the rash or pim- 
ples are small, and very light colored, or about the same color of the skin, 
from which they are only slightly elevated. In consequence of the scratch- 
ing resorted to by the sufferer, the appearance of this disease is so changed, 
that it can scarcely be distinguished from common itch. 

Treatment. This disease is very obstinate, and terribly annoying to 
many old people. It is caused by errors of diet, and depends upon acidity 
of the blood, caused by fermentation of the food. Alkaline baths, and a 
well regulated diet, with suitable changes of air, and the occasional use of 
saline cathartics, will cure many cases, which for years, have tormented 
their unfortunate victims, until life has become a burden. 

Squamae, or Scales. 

This family of cutaneous diseases is attended with the formation of 
flakes of dead cuticle, or scarf skin, varying in thickness from a very thin 
scale, like dandruff, to thick, dense, opake crusts. There are four prin- 
cipal varieties of this order of diseases of the skin, called lepra, psoriasis, 
pityriasis, and ichthyosis. 

Lepra. This is one of the squamae, or scaly diseases of the skin,, some- 
times called American leprosy, from its general resemblance to this terri- 
ble disease, as it manifests itself in its severer forms, in tropical climates, 
and in oriental countries. It appears on the surface of the skin in patches 



Fig. 182. 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 321 

as large as a dinner plate, often covering different parts of the body, and 
throwing off daily immense flakes of scales. When this disease is left to 
itself, it will often last for years, and even a life time, and steadily grow 
worse all the time. It is a most obstinate disease, and difficult to get rid 
of, under ordinary treatment, but it will gra- 
dually yield to a judicious course of treat- 
ment, perseveringly and strictly carried out. 
This disease often commences with small 
white spots, about the size of a dime, cov- 
ered with small, dry, shining scales, on a 
slightly red base. This disease will never 
disappear, except by medical treatment ; and 
unless the disease be promptly attended to, 
it may require several years to cure this 
eruption in its advanced stages. 

Psoriasis is a disease of the skin, similar 
to lepra, except that the surface of the skin 
becomes cracked, frequently forming long 
deep fissures, followed by inflammation, and 
an exudation of gummy matter. The pa- 
tient is distressed by perpetual burning, 
smarting and itching, followed by broken 
rest, suspension of the functions of the skin, and exhaustion, which des- 
troys the health, and even life. A few years ago, this disease was consid- 
ered incurable ; but by well regulated diet, and skillful treatment, it is now 
found to slowly yield, and finally get well. 

Treatment. For the cure of lepra and psoriasis, it will be necessary to 
carefully regulate the diet. It is well known, that there is a most intimate 
sympathy between the delicate mucous membrane lining the intestinal 
canal, and the skin covering the body. Heavy, irritating, and indigestible 
food, such as salt meat, fish, pastry, raw fruit, and uncooked vegetables, 
old cheese, sweet meats, fried meat ; or cakes, with strong coffee, tea, beer, 
whiskey, &c, will irritate the mucous membrane lining the intestinal canal, 
and by sympathy this irritation is quickly transferred to the skin, causing 
great irritation, redness and excitement of the skin ; increasing and per- 
petuating these diseases ! It will be indispensable to a cure of these dis- 
eases of the skin, that the diet shall be well regulated and always consist 
of light and easily digested food, such as boiled milk and farinaceous food, 
boiled rice, barley, oatmeal and white corn-mush or hominy, well cooked; 
stale bread, and very few cooked vegetables or fruits, with very little 
boiled meat, or light broth, or soups ! The best local applications will be 




Lepra, or American Leprosy. 



322 DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 

the warm steam or vapor bath, or hot baths, to remove the dry, dead scales 
of thickened cuticle, followed by the applications of brown ointment, com- 
posed of oil of cade, glycerin, and starch; or the sulphurous acid and gly- 
cerin lotion, well rubbed into the diseased spots twice a day. In the local 
treatment of this obstinate disease, much of the success will depend upon 
repeating the local applications sufficiently often to prevent any accumula- 
tion of scales upon the eruptive surfaces. The only internal remedy of 
any considerable value, is found to be small doses of the arsenate of pot- 
ash, in some vegetable infusion, taken for several months. 

Pityriasis is a' scaly eruption, which attacks the scalp, in circular shaped 
patches, throwing off layers of thin white scales, which are quickly repro- 
duced. This disease is called dandruff. The scales formed by this disease 
never form crusts or fissures in the scalp, attended with excoriations &c. 
As this disease is mentioned incidently in another place, and its proper 
treatment pointed out, it will not be necessary to dwell longer upon it here. 
Exanthemata, or Hashes. 

This family of cutaneous diseases includes all red patches of various 
shapes, the intervening skin being of a natural hue, and the disease termina- 
ting in exfoliation of the scarf skin. To this order belong erythema, erysip- 
elas, and roseola or rose rash. 

Erythema, or redness of the skin, covering only certain parts of the body, 
occurs most frequently upon the face, neck, arm or breast, especially in 
feeble constitutions, and in weakly and delicate females; it is generally an 
accompaniment of some severe disturbance of the general health, but is 
not contagious. 

Treatment. The treatment of erythema will "depend upon its cause. 
When the stomach and bowels are filled with offensive, sour, acrid or bitter 
secretions, they should receive attention. Small and repeated doses of rhu- 
barb and magnesia, or Rochelle salts, or the citrate of magnesia, will be the 
most useful. Apply finely powdered starch, or lime water and sweet oil in 
equal parts, to allay the burning and itching sensations which accompany 
this disease. 

Erysipelas, or St. Anthony's fire, as it is sometimes called, usually com- 
mences upon the face, with redness and soreness of the skin, which grad- 
ually spreads so as to involve the face and neck, scalp, &c. This disease is 
usually attended with considerable swelling and increased heat. It may be 
only superficial, or it may involve the subcutaneous cellular tissue, especially 
when situated on the limbs, &c. When the scalp becomes involved in this 
disease, the inflammation may extend to the brain, bringing on coma and 
death. The principal source of danger in erysipelas, is the suppression of 
tne functions of the skin, and exhaustion. 



DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 



323 



Treatment. The treatment of erysipelas should commence with small 
doses of some saline cathartic, such as Rochelle salts, or the citrate of mag- 
nesia. In cases where there is much general debility, this should be followed 
by muriated tincture of iron and quinine. The best local applications 
are lead water, or cold cream ointment, &c. 

Roseola, or rose rash. This disease of the skin is usually manifested by 
dark or light rose colored patches of an irregular shape, on various parts 
of the body, with little or no fever. It usually lasts but a few days, and 
terminates in exfoliation of the cuticle, in the form of dry scurf. This 
disease is so light, as to require little or no treatment, for its cure. The 
eruption is not very irritating, and requires no local application whatever. 
A small dose of Rochelle salts or citrate of magnesia at the commencement 
of this disease, is all that is required, by way of treatment, to hasten the 

cure. 

Bullae, or Blisters. 

This family of cutaneous diseases, are attended with the eruption of blis- 
ters, or bladders, varying in size from a split pea, to the size of a walnut, 
filled with a transparent fluid, which soon burst, forming ulcers or hard 



Fig. 183. 



There are two principal varieties of this disease of the skin, called pim- 
jphigits and rupia. 

Pimphigus. In this disease of the skin the bullae, or blisters are round, 
and from half an inch to two or three inches in diameter, and may be dis- 
tributed over all parts of the body. As soon as the blisters mature they 
burst open, and discharge their contents, 
followed by the formation of thin brown 
scabs. Ulceration frequently occurs in 
this disease, but it is not very deep, ex- 
cept when the constitution is much im- 
paired or broken down. 

Treatment. The treatment of pim- 
phigus consists in the use of mild saline 
cathartics, followed by mineral tonics. 
Take a teaspoonful of Rochelle salts 
every morning in half a glass of water, 
before eating, and a teaspoonful of the 
following mixture as a tonic : muriated 
tincture of iron, one ounce; chlorate of 
potash, four drachms; diluted muriatic 
acid, two drachms; quinine, one drachm; 
simple syrup, four ounces; warm water, 
twelve ounces, three times a day in water. 




324 diseases of the skin. 

Rupia. 

Rupia is generally regarded as only a modification, or variety, of pimphi- 
gus. The bullge, or blisters are smaller, followed by thicker conical scabs 
of a dark copper color, with the formation of ulcers beneath them, which 
often require several weeks to heal, after the scabs are removed. This dis- 
ease of the skin, is almost always of a syphilitic origin. 

Treatment. This disease requires a tonic and alterative treatment, con- 
sisting of quinine, iron, iodide of potash, and a light, simple, easily diges- 
ted and nourishing diet. 

Pustule, or Pustules. 

This family of cutaneous diseases consist of elevations of the skin, con- 
taining matter, and having an inflamed base. It includes four varieties, 
impetigo, porrigo, ecthyma and scabies. Impetigo consists of small pus- 
tules running into each other and producing scabs. This disease of the 
skin, often attacks the face, and renders the unfortunate sufferer hideous in 
his appearance. The scabs which form, are of a dirty straw color, resem- 
bling the stained or soiled bark of a tree. Many cases of impetigo, or 
"crusted tetter," as this disease is sometimes called, are exceedingly obsti- 
nate, and if not treated by those who understand its nature and proper 
remedies, will often last for many years. 

Treatment. When there is much inflammation, wash the parts carefully 
with warm oatmeal gruel, in place of soap and water, and poultice with potatoe 
starch or arrow root, then apply ointment of oxide of zinc, or sulphurous 
acid and glycerin. If there is much irritation and fever, use light saline 
cathartics, taken in the morning, with a light nourishing diet, and altera- 
tive tonics, such as Fowler's solution of arsenic, one ounce; quinine, one 
drachm; citric acid, one drachm; Water, one pint. Mix, and take a tea- 
spoonful after each meal. 

Favus, Porrigo, or Scald Head. 

This disease of the skin often resembles impetigo, but is very contagious, 
and will often run through a whole school in a short time. Sometimes it 
appears as a scabby eruption on the scalp, and sometimes as a circular patch, 
causing baldness. The crusts or scabs are yellow, and present a honey comb 
like appearance. In the variety which causes baldness, no eruption takes 
place. The disease first shows itself by one or two patches on the scalp, 
which demand immediate attention. " Ringworm" and " scald head" are 
names by which this disease is ofteu known. This disease is caused by a 
parasite called achorion schonleinii. 

Treatment. Our attention must first be directed to the removal of the 
crusts ; which contain great multitudes of the parasites, concerned in the 
production of the disease. Cut the hair short and poultice with potatoe 



DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 



325 



Fig. 184. 



starch or arrow root, then wash with an alkaline wash, containing one 
drachm of saleratus or carbonate of potash, to a pint of water. Continue 
this treatment until the crusts are softened and removed, then apply sul- 
phurous acid, one ounce ; glycerin, three ounces ; after washing with pot- 
ash and water, three times a day. In chronic cases, apply tar ointment, 
and cover with an oilskin cap. 

Scabies, or Itch. 

This disease is characterized by the formation of a number of small red 
elevations, or pustules, with white tops, between the fingers, on the back 
of the hand, on the arms, legs and 
abdomen, and occasionally on the 
scalp. When these little pustules 
are carefully examined, beneath the 
white cap or top, we shall discover 
the acarus scabiei, or itch bug, as 
seen in the accompanying illustra- 
tion, representing the male, slightly 
smaller than the female. 

Treatment. Wash the skin tho- 
roughly with soap and warm water, 
then rub strong sulphur ointment 
well into the parts affected. Sul- 
phur kills the animalcule causing 
the disease, when the eruption soon 
disappears. There are other para- 
citicides, which answer equally well 
to cure this disease, such as carbolic 
acid, soap, sulphurous acid, and glycerin, kerosene oil, &c. It is best to repeat 
either of these applications three or four times to ensure a cure. When 
the eruption does not get well after the destruction of the " itch animal- 
cule/' then apply the oil of cade and glycerin ointment, and treat the dis- 
ease as simple lichen. 

YESicuLiE, or Vesicles. 

This family of cutaneous diseases, are all characterized by the eruption 
of small elevations from the skin, like a pimple, filled with clear transpa- 
rent, or colorless fluid terminating in the formation of a scurf, or a lami- 
nated scab. This order of diseases of the skin includes herpes, or " shin- 
gles '" eczema, or " moist tetter ;" varicella, or " chicken pox ;" and mili- 
aria, a disease which often occurs during fever. The vesicles in miliaria 
are about the size of millet seeds, and sometimes appear like drops of sweat 
upon the surface of the skin. This eruption is symptomatic, and requires 
no special treatment ; and the same may be said of chicken pox. 




The Acarus Scabiei, or Itch Bug. 



326 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



Herpes, or Shingles. 

This disease of the skin is characterized by the eruption of numerous 
small vesicles, collected in clusters, resting on an inflamed base, and contain- 
F lg5 ing a thin, transparent fluid- 

It runs through its various 
stages, and terminates in 
from one to three weeks, 
in the formation of thin scabs. 
There are several varieties of 
this disease, two of which are 
shown in the accompanying 
illustration, called herpes zos- 
ter, which is seen extending 
halfway around the waist from 
the shoulder downwards ; and 
herpes circinnatus, which ap- 
pears as a ring on the face, 
neck, and shoulder. Herpes 
labialis surrounds the mouth. 
Herpes prseputialis, and her- 
pes iris, appear on the prae- 
puce hands, fingers, &c. Her- 
pes zoster is commonly called 
shingles; and herpes circin- 
natus is often mistaken for 
ring worm. Herpes iris may be confounded with " bakers' itch," and cer- 
tain forms of eczema, or psoriasis on the hands. This disease is caused by 
contact with irritating substances, by violent exercise, febrile or catarrhal 
attacks, too stimulating diet, &c. 

Treatment. This disease of the skin is generally, especially at first, ac- 
companied with febrile excitement, requiring the use of cooling remedies, 
such as the saline cathartics, Rochelle salts, cream of tartar, or citrate of 
magnesia, with a light diet ! Alkaline baths or washes will be found of 
great value, to allay irritation and stop the intolerable itching and burning 
sensation. The bath may be followed by the application of the oint- 
ment of oxide of zinc, &c. 

When this disease is of long standing, and has become chronic, then the 
treatment must be modified. As there is no febrile action, cathartics will no 
longer be required. The most valuable remedy for this stage of herpes, 
will be arsenic or some one of its many preparations. Begin with three 
drops of Fowler's solution, and gradually increase the dose up to ten for 




Herpes, or Shingles. 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



327 




an adult, if required. When there is great debility, with a strumous or 
scrofulous taint, syrup of iodide of iron will often be required to complete 

the cure. 

Eczema, or Moist Tetter. 

There are several varieties of this form of cutaneous disease, such as 
eczema simplex, eczema -p IG ^gg 

rubrum, and eczema infan- 
tile, or milk crust, &c. 

In the simple form of 
this disease there is little 
inflammation. The vesi- 
cles are of smaller size 
than those seen in herpes, 
and they are generally more 
crowded together. It may 
manifest itself in almost 
every variety and form, 
from a small crack or fis- 
sure, or a spot of the size 
of a split pea, which only 
sheds a slight scurf, up to 
patches as large as a din- 
ner plate. This disease is not contagious, but it is very irritating, partic- 
ularly so when the surface affected is extensive, and the disease is very ac- 
tive, discharging large quantities of semi-transparent fluid, which excori- 
ates the surrounding skin, and finally dries into laminated scabs, which vary 
in color, from a silvery white to a greenish yellow, and when tinged with 
blood, to a reddish brown. 

This form of skin disease is not only the most frequent of all forms, but 
it effects every age and constitution. It may also attack any part of the 
external surface of the body, and even strike inwards, seriously deranging 
the functions of life, and sometimes causing death. Eczema of the hands, 
arms and lower extremities, is frequently mistaken for itch, and the differ- 
ance is so slight that only experienced practitioners can distinguish be- 
tween the two diseases. 

Eczema, is one of the most curable of all diseases when treated early, 
but when neglected or improperly treated, it becomes very stubborn and 
difficult to cure. In its advanced stages, and in inexperienced hands, it 
may last for years without being cured ! 

Treatment. The treatment for the cure of eczema, is very much like 
that required for the cure of herpes. When there is much inflammation 
and fever, small doses of saline cathartics will be useful. In infi mcy, when 



Eczema, or Moist Tetter on the Face. 



328 DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 

the disease attacks the scalp and face, and is called milk crust, small doses 
of calcined magnesia should be given. Cleanliness is of the utmost im- 
portance. Weak alkaline washes followed by potato starch or arrow-root 
poultices, frequently renewed, are useful. When soap or alkalies appear 
to irritate, use wheat, bran or oatmeal gruel in place of them. Long stand- 
ing or chronic cases, when the fever and local irritation have subsided, 
must be treated differently. Small doses of Fowler's solution, not more 
than one drop for an infant, and from three to five for an adult, will be 
the proper quantity taken twice a day after eating, in a little water. Re- 
move the crusts and cleanse the ulcerated surface, with a weak solution of 
carbolic acid, one part to a hundred of water, or a teaspoonful to a pint of 
water, used three times a day, and dress with an ointment of oil of cade 
and glycerine. 

TUBERCUL^. OR TUBERCLE. 

This family of cutaneous diseases, are characterized by the formation of 
small, hard, circumscribed and superficial, partially suppurating tumors, 
upon the surface of the skin. 

There are several varieties of this order of diseases of the skin, such as 
acne, sycosis, lupus, phyma, &c. 

ACNE. 

There are three principal varieties of acne. Acne simplex, acne pustu- 
losa, and acne rosacea. In this disease there is inflammation of the skin, 
around the sebaceous follicles, causing a retention of their secretion, which 
becomes acrid, poisonous and irritating to the surrounding tissues ! Small 
black points usually mark the situation of the mouths of the obstructed 
follicles, called " black heads," causing so much annoyance to many young 
people. This disease of the skin, is far more common among women, than 
men. In its milder forms, it often attacks young people of both sexes, 
causing great disfigurement of face, and much annoyance. When this 
disease is neglected, or improperly treated, it causes much redness and 
thickening of the skin, greatly disfiguring the nose and sides of the face, 
and is then called acne rosacea. This disease of the skin, usually attacks 
high livers. At first the pimples are small, hard and red. As these pim- 
ples mature they become larger, and when they finally burst they discharge 
a little briny matter, leaving a small scab. The rose redness of the skin, 
around these pimples or patches of them, has given origin to the name of 
this variety of acne. Sometimes this disease is hereditary, and it is always 
very difficult of cure. But if treated skillfully and perseveringly, it will 
gradually yield, and in time, recovery will take place. 

Treatment. Acne is usually caused by errors of diet and sedentary 
habits, &c. For the cure of this unsightly disease, it is indispensable that 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



329 




the diet should be well regulated. F 1 ®* 187 * 

Carefully avoid the use of all 
kinds of gross, indigestible, and 
unwholesome food, such as smok- 
ed or salt meats, fish, pastry, fried 
food, of every description, raw 
fruit, vegetables, cheese, sweet 
meats, pickles, and confectionery, 
also beer, wine, whiskey, tea and 
coffee. In a word, any thing 
which irritates or stimulates the 
mucous membrane lining the sto- 
mach and the intestinal canal. 
Carefully attend to the state of 
the bowels, and the action of the 
skin. In persons of a full, ple- 
thoric habit, saline cathartics, 
taken every morning, will be 

Very useful, Such as Citrate of Acne Punctata, commonly called " Black Heads." 

magnesia, cream of tartar, or Rochelle salts. All of the saline and sul- 
phurous mineral waters are F IG . 188. 
highly recommended, for the 
cure of this obstinate disease. 
Wash the eruption twice a 
day with the best Castile soap 
and hot water, using it as 
warm as it can be borne, then 
wipe dry, and apply a little 
sulphurous acid and glycerin, 
or diluted citrine ointment, 
twice a day. In very bad 
cases, where the pustules are 
very hard and unsightly, acid 
nitrate of mercury will some- 
times be found very useful. 
Iodide of sulphur ointment 
will occasionally be found su- 
perior to all other applications, 
especially in certain constitu- 
tions, where there is a scrofu- 
lous taint ! When the COnsti- Acne Rosacea > affecting the Nose, and side of the Face, 

Ac. This hideous disease is suggestive of ham, sausage, 
tution IS exhausted, and brok- old cheese, beer, wine, whiskey and tobacco. 




330 



DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 



en down, from various excesses, a course of tonic and restorative remedies 
is necessary to complete the cure. 

Lupus. 
There are two varieties of this disease of the skin, called lupus exedens 
and lupus non-exedens. 

Lupus non-exedens consists in the formation of small, soft, slow growing 
tubercles upon the skin of the cheek, eyelid, side of the nose or temple, 
which gradually increase in size, and finally form a scab, and when this is 
removed, another one soon forms again. It finally forms an ulcer beneath 
the scab, and they both spread and extend themselves, indefinitely, in every 
direction, and leave behind them a white seam or scar, that serves as a 
track to mark their progress. Irritation while washing or shaving, pricking 
or peeling off the scab, will make the tubercle very painful, and cause its 
more rapid extension. This disease may last for years, causing little or no 
trouble or inconvenience, but when rubbed, chafed or irritated, may spread 
and enlarge very rapidly. 

Lupus exedens, or devorans, sometimes called " noli me tangere," (touch 
me not) a kind of rodent ulcer, is much more destructive. In this form 
of lupus, not only the skin and subcutaneous tissues, but the muscles, bones, 
and other parts become involved, destroying the eyelids, nose lips, tongue, 
and other parts of the body. The tubercles become of a dusky red, and 
are elevated and round, pouring out an ichorous discharge which is poison- 
ous, excoriating and offensive. 

Fig. 189. The progress of this disease is 

generally quite slow, and causes much 
less pain than would generally be 
supposed, from the appearance of the 
disease, and this is probably the reas- 
on why it is generally neglected or 
improperly treated, in its earlier 
stages, when a cure would be compar- 
atively easy. Scrofula, syphilis, and 
other constitutional diseases, predis- 
pose to this disease. The chimney 
sweeps of London; chewers and 
.smokers of tobacco, are also far more 
liable to its manifestation. The ac- 
cumulation of impure, irritating and 
poisonous substances upon the skin, 
also predispose to this disease. It 
is sometimes called "smoker's can- 
Lupus, or Smoker's Cancer on the lower Lip. **>" " chimney Sweep's Cancer," from 




DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 



331 



the fact that it so often occurs among this class of people. It is an obsti- 
nate affection and very difficult to cure. Its close alliance to cancer, has 
induced many of the latest authorities to call it a cancroid affection. 

Treatment. This disease usually occurs in feeble or broken down con- 
stitutions, and requires a course of alterative and restorative medication, 
such as the use of a good, light and nourishing diet, and the use of Fow- 
ler's solution, in doses of from three to five drops. Iron, quinine, &c. 
Saline and alkaline baths are of great value. The local disease is best 
treated by the application of caustic, followed by carbolic acid washes. 
Touch the tubercles with nitric acid, or chlorate of zinc, to destroy them, 
and to prevent their reproduction, wash the ulcerated surface three times 
a day with a solution of carbolic acid, containing one or two drachms to a 
pint of water. Wet some lint in this wash, and lay it over the ulcerated 
surface. When the eyelid, lip, or a part of the nose has been destroyed 
by this disease, an operation often becomes necessary to restore them to 
their natural condition and expression. 

Fig. 190. Fig. 191. 





A piece of Skin, of the proper shape, raised 
up from the Forehead, to form a New Nose. 



A piece of Skin raised up from the Fore- 
head, turned around and fitted so as to form 
a New Nose. 



When the skin of the forehead or cheek are in a sound and healthy con- 
dition, a suitable shaped piece may be carefully raised up at one end, and 
twisted around and fitted into the proper position, and fastened to the sound 
healthy skin, by silver threads, as seen in the accompanying illustrations. 
Adhesive inflammation soon takes place, and the piece of skin, and subcu- 
taneous tissues, removed from the forehead, become attached in a few days, 
so that the dressings may be removed. 

In other cases, when the skin of the forehead and face have been in- 
volved in the original disease, and are scarred and contracted, the material 
to form a new nose, must be sought for in other portions of the body, and 
no part can be found more convenient for this purpose, than a part of the 
arm or hand. 



332 



DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 




Making a new Nose from a piece of Skin, 
raised up from the Shoulder. 



Fig. 192. j± small piece of the skin is care- 

fully marked out of the right size 
and shape, and then one end of it 
is carefully dissected and raised up, 
and then fitted to the base of the 
nose, and fastened with very deli- 
cate silver pins, as seen in the ac- 
companying illustration. As soon 
as this piece of skin has attached 
itself to the base of the nose, then 
the other end of it is separated 
from the arm and made to form the 
tip of the nose. Many of the most 
terrible cases of deformity, caused 
by lupus and other ulcerative dis- 
eases, have been cured in this way. 
Warts, boils, carbuncles and styes, 
are other tubercular affections of 
the skin, with which every one is 
more or less familiar. Warts are tubercular growths, covered with hard- 
ened and thickened skin. They are best cured by the local application of 
caustic of potash. When, as sometimes happens, they are spread over 
Fig. 193. different parts of the body, consti- 

tutional treatment is necessary for 
their removal. 

Hordeolum or sty, is a small tu- 
bercular tumor on the margin of the 
eyelid, in which matter is finally 
collected. This disease is really an 
inflammation of one of the glands 
of the eyelid, followed by suppura- 
tion, and is an indication of a dis- 
ordered state of the blood, and usu- 
ally occurs in weakened or scrofu- 
lous constitutions. It is best treated 
by the internal use of the syrup of 
iodide of iron, and an application 
of diluted citrine ointment. 




Carbuncle. 
This is a tubercular disease, well 
known to attack those people whose vital energy has been weakened by long 



Carbuncle, after the Core has come out. 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



333 



continued depressing causes. Carbuncle is a tubercular inflammation of 
the skin, more extensive than a boil, with much more pain and constitu- 
tional disturbance, and may even threaten life. 

Treatment. As soon as the character of the disease has been fully made 
out. Cover the surface of the diseased skin, with the strongest caustic 
solution of carbolic acid. This at once destroys the diseased tissues, and 
changes the character of the disease. This caustic application should be 
followed by poultices of linseed meal, or ground slippery elm bark, and as 
soon as the slough has been loosened or removed, wash the ulcer with a solu- 
tion of carbolic acid, containing one or two teaspoonsful of Calverts' solution, 
to a pint of water, three times a day. A course of tonic and restorative 
medicine is usually required to complete the cure. 

Sycosis or Barbers' Itch. 

Sycosis is an eruption of inflamed tubercles, occurring on the beardless 
portion of the face, and on the scalp, usually clustering together in patches. 
Sycosis of the chin, may attack either the upper or under lip, as well as 

Fig. 194. 



y k 



W 






%*& 




Sycosis Mentagra or Barbers' Itch. 

the chin itself. In this disease a thick matter is secreted, and cakes among 

the hairs, matting them together. The itching is often great, and shaving 

becomes impossible. When examined by the microscope, this disease is 

found to depend upon the presence of a parasite called the " trichophyton 

mentogrophytes" and is highly contagious. It is often communicated by 

uncleanly barbers while shaving. This disease may often be confounded* 

with impetigo, ecthyma and acne. 
22 



334 DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 

Treatment. Sycosis is a difficult disease to cure, especially when long 
neglected or improperly treated. Keep the beard or hair trimmed very short 
to prevent the accumulation of crusts of hardened matter, and to facilitate 
the application of proper remedies. Sponge the skin twice a day with a 
strong alkaline solution to remove the hardened crusts, and then wash 
with carbolic acid lotion, and apply sulphurous acid and glycerin, contain- 
ing one part of the acid to three of glycerin. In old chronic cases of long 
standing, when there is induration and thickening of the skin, take three 
to five drops of Fowler's solution, and apply ointment of the nitrate of 
mercury. 

Mactjlae, or Marks. 

This family of cutaneous diseases, are attended by permanent discolor- 
ation of the skin, often with a change of texture, and includes ephelis, or 
freckles, chloasma, "moth" or "liver spots," naevus or "mother's mark," &c. 

Ephelis, lentigo or freckles, are diseases of the skin, attended with a yel«- 
lowish brown discolorations, which are only important as regards the ap- 
pearance of those who are subject to their manifestations. For the removal 
of freckles, or the yellowish brown spots called chloasma, use the following 
preparation. 

Sulpho carbolate of zinc, 2 parts. 

Glycerin, 25 " 

Kose Water, . . . . . . . . . 25 " 

Spirits, 5 " 

Mix and dissolve. 

Yj Qt 195. The freckled skin is to be 

anointed with this twice a day, 
and allowed to stay on from 
half an hour to an hour, then 
wash off with cold water. In 
the sunlight a dark veil should 
be worn 

Vitiligo, or Veal Skin. 

►This disease is characterized 
by an unnatural whiteness from 
a deficiency of coloring matter. 
When the disease extends all 
over the skin it is called albin- 
ismus. This disease not only 
manifests itself in the human 
species, but among the lower 
Vitiligo, or Veal skin, animals. We sometimes see 




DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 335 

whole families of them among all of the races of mankind and the lower 
animals. The head, face, chest, hack and thighs, are most frequently the 
seat of this disease. When it attacks the scalp, the hairs turn white in 
spots, and often fall out, causing partial or complete alopecia or baldness I 
Treatment. We must first devote our attention to the improvement of 
all of the powers of nutrition, by the use of suitable food, air, exercise, 
sunlight, bathing, &c, with the use of suitable tonic and restorative 
remedies, such as the phosphates of iron, lime, potash and soda. Astringent 
and stimulating baths of tannin or tannic acid and creasote, are found to be 
the most useful for the cure of this disease. When the spots are small 
and limited in number, turpentine ointment should be well rubbed into 
them twice a day, after the use of an alkaline bath. 

Poison Vine Eruption. 

There are several plants capable of causing a vesicular eruption, when 
they are brought in contact with the surface of the skin. The common 
poison vine or rhus toxicodendron, a species of swamp sumach, is capable 
of causing an eruption of considerable severity. 

Treatment. The burning heat, inflammation and itching, which accom- 
pany this disease, may be allayed by the application of lead water around 
the open vesicles. A tea, or the fluid extract of snake root," serpentaria," is 
said to kill the poison at once, and to be superior to all other remedies. 

Chilblains. 

The hands, fingers, toes, feet, nose and ears, are often injured by ex- 
posure to extreme cold, causing congelation, which may be followed by 
erythematous inflammation. 

Treatment. When any part of the body has been bitten by the frost, 
it should be rubbed with snow, and gradually warmed, and when the 
circulation has been restored, cover it well with a coating of dry starch, to 
exclude the air. 

Burns. x 

As shown in another place, the skin is very highly organized, contain- 
ing numerous blood vessels and nerves, and its functions are of great im- 
portance to the continuation of animal life. When one-half of the skin 
covering the body is burned to a blister, so as to interrupt these functions, 
death will always follow. The terrible shock to the nervous system, com- 
municated through impressions received by the numerous nerves of the 
skin, causes collapse, when the pulse becomes feeble, and the body cold, 
with intense thirst, insensibility, prostration and death. 

Treatment. Stimulants must be administered at once, to prevent col- 
lapse. Brandy, whiskey, opium will be found the most useful. Wash the 



336 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



Fig. 196. 




burned or scalded surface clean with warm water, using it as warm as it 
can be borne, then cover the surface of the burn with equal parts of lime 

water and sweet oil, on cotton, 
and cover all with oiled silk, 
to exclude the air. 

Burns and scalds are often 
followed by contraction, creat- 
ing terrible deformities, as seen 
in the accompanying illustra- 
tion. "When the skin is once 
destroyed it never is reprodu- 
ced again, but in place of the 
skin, there is created a cicatrix 
or scar. As the parts heal, the 
scar gradually contracts, and 
forms hard inelastic bands or 
belts, which at first are of a 
bright rose color, but gradually 
fade until in color they nearly 
Deformity from a Bum. resemble the hues of the sur- 

rounding healthy skin. When these burns or scalds occur near the eye, or 
Fig. 197. mouth, or inside the flexions 

of the joints, the lids are of- 
ten drawn down, or everted, 
bringing into view the fiery 
red inner surface of the lid, 
and exposing the eyeball to 
constant irritation from cold, 
dust, &c. Or the mouth may 
be drawn to one side, or the 
lower jaw drawn down, bring- 
ing into view the open cavity 
jof the mouth, with its con- 
tents, the tongue, teeth, &c, 
allowing the saliva constant- 
ly to escape from its cavity. 
When the burns are situated 
inside of the hand and joints 
of the limbs, the cicatrix con- 
tracts and closes the hand or 
bends the limb, and destroys its usefulness, &c. 

Treatment. The application of various oils and lubricating substances, 




Division of the Contracted Skin, cansed by a Burn. 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



337 



for me purpose of relaxing 
these hard inelastic welts or 
bands, will prove entirely use- 
less. When the burn occurs 
in infancy, the natural growth 
of the body causes a gradual 
increase in the amount of 
the deformity or contraction. 
There is no remedy which 
will suffice, but a surgical 
operation. The cicatrix and 
the subcutaneous cellular tis- 
sue must be divided entirely 
through, to relieve the con- 
traction, as seen in fig. 197. 

If the wound was now 
dressed, and allowed to heal, 
without further treatment, 
the cicatrix would contract 
still more, and only increase 
the deformity. To avoid 
this result, a piece of sound 
skin must be transplanted 
to fill the open space creat- 
ed by the division of the 
cicatrix. In this instance, 
the sound skin, uninjured 
by the burn, and not in- 
volved in the contraction, 
is found upon the shoulder, 
so the incision is carried 
outwards, and a piece of 
skin, sufficiently large, is 
raised up from the shoul- 
der, like a flap, leaving the 
end nearest the chasm to be 
filled, still attached, and it 
is turned around and fitted 
to its new situation, and Wl- 
carefully fastened in its 
place, by a number of small 
silver pins, as shown in the 




Completion of the Operation of transplanting a piece of 
Skin, from the Shoulder to the Neck. 




Hare Lip, before an operation. From the Author's Cabinet 



338 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



preceding illustration. The parts are now washed with a weak solution of 
carbolic acid in water, and then covered with cotton wet in the solution, 
and kept at rest, until union has taken place, which usually requires but a 
few days. 

Deformities of the Mouth. 

The lips, mouth and cheeks may be deformed from extensive sloughing, 
caused by salivation, or the abuse of mercury, or from cancerous ulceration, 
and from congenital deficiency of the parts at birth. In severe cases of sali- 
vation, it is not uncommon for the whole cheek to slough, creating a large 
opening, exposing the cavity of the mouth, with its contents, the tongue, 
teeth, &c. Such deformities can often be cured by transplanting a piece 
of healthy skin from the neighboring parts, to supply the deficiency, and 
causing it to attach itself, and grow in its new location. In hare lip, as 
seen in fig. 199, all that is required is to pare off a thin layer of skin, and sub- 
Fio. 200. cutaneous connective tis- 

sue, on each side of the 
cleft, commencing at the 
nose, and leaving the lower 
end attached to the edges 
of the lip on each side. The 
lips are now loosened from 
their attachments to the 
jaws on each side, so that 
they will slide across the 
chasm, and meet each oth- 
er. To unite the parts per- 
fectly, and leave no notch, 
the upper ends of the thin 
slices from each side of 
cleft are now turned down, 
so they rest upon the low- 
er lip, bringing their raw 
edges opposite each other. 
Three or four silver pins 
are now passed through 
the lip on each side, and 

Hare Lip r after an operation. From the Author's Cabinet. -fa e edges are brOU°ht to- 
gether by a well waxed thread of silk, applied around each pin, and over 
the lip, in the form of the figure 8. When well executed, there will be 
no notch left in the lip, and only a careful examination will discover any 
trace of deformity. 




DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 339 

Rules of Diet for the Cure of Diseases of the Shin, directed 
by the Author in his private Practice. 
Breakfast. 
Stale wheat bread, with boiled milk, oatmeal or white corn mush ; or 
stale wheat bread and butter. 

Dinner. 
Plain boiled fresh lamb, mutton or chicken, barley broth, boiled rice, 
sago, tapioca or farina pudding, cooked without eggs or butter, boiled or 
roasted white potatoes, and no other vegetables or fruit. 

Supper. 
Boiled milk and water, oatmeal gruel, with stale wheat bread and butter. 

Drinks. 

Barley water, toast and water, thin gruel, or soda water without syrups. 

N. B. — Especially to he avoided. Salt or smoked meats, fish, oysters, 
soups, sweets, acids, fruits, sweatmeats, pastry and raw vegetables. 

Change the clothing night and morning, and remove flannel from next 
the skin, when it irritates. Bathe the skin daily, using oatmeal gruel, 
made thick, or bran or flaxseed meal, in place of soap, when it irritates the 
skin. May use egg and warm water in place of soap, to shampoo and cleanse 
the scalp. 

Baths. 

The following Baths are used by the Author for the Cure 

of Diseases of the Shin, 

Acid Bath. 

Nitric acid, one ounce ) hydrochloric acid, three ounces ; hot water, fifteen 

gallons. Mix in a wooden bath tub. Remain in the bath ten to twenty 

minutes. Useful for torpid and inactive liver. 

Alkaline Bath. 
Carbonate of soda, one pound; hot water, thirty gallons. Remain in 
it ten to twenty minutes. Useful in gouty and rheumatic affections, with 
the lactic and litHic acid diathesis. 

Creasote. 
Creasote, two drachms; glycerin, two ounces; hot water, thirty gallons. 
Remain in ten to twenty minutes. Yery useful in many skin diseases, such 
as eczema, prurigo, lepra and cutaneous irritation. 

Sulphur Bath. 

Sulphuret of potash, four ounces; hot water, thirty gallons. Stay in 
it ten to twenty minutes. Yery useful in itch and many forms of eczema. 



340 diseases of the skin. 

Salt Water Sponge Bath. 
Salt, four ounces; warm water, four gallons. Sponge the skin freely for 
five minutes. Useful in general debility, and in chronic rheumatism. 

Mustard Foot Bath. 
Mustard, two ounces ; warm water, four gallons. Place the feet in this 
from ten to twenty minutes. Useful to prevent and cure chilblains, and as 
a revulsion, to remove congestion of the vital organs. 

Sea Water Bath. 
Salt, two pounds; sulphate of magnesia, three ounces; iodide of potash, 
two drachms; liquor of the chloride of lime, one-half ounce; warm water, 
thirty gallons. Useful in debility, chronic rheumatism, dyspepsia, neural- 
gia, &c. 

Iodine Bath. 

Iodine, one drachm; iodide of potash, four drachms; liquor potassae, two 
ounces; warm water, thirty gallons. Useful in scrofula, chronic rheuma- 
tism, scurvy, syphilis, and other diseases of the skin. 

Borax Bath. 

Borax, four ounces; glycerin, three ounces; warm water, thirty gallons. 
Useful in dry scaly eruptions. 

GrELATTN BATH. 

Gelatin, or glue, one pound. Dissolve in a little boiling water, and apld 
water, twenty gallons. Useful in eczema, and irritable diseases of the 
skin. 

Warm Bath. 

A warm bath at a temperature of ninty-five degrees will prove a cooling 
agent to the body of a fever patient, at a temperature of one hundred or 
one hundred and five, and in all diseases of the body attended with increased 
heat and febrile excitement, ought never to be neglected, as a most import- 
ant part of the preliminary treatment. The immersion should continue 
from fifteen minutes to an hour, or longer. Its sedative effects render it 
exceedingly valuable when the nervous system is irritable. In cases of 
insomnency, or in delirium tremens, with fever, congestion of the brain, &c, 
cold water should be poured over the head while in the hot bath. Keep 
up the temperature of the bath, by constant addition of warm water. 
Twenty or thirty buckets of cold water may be slowly poured over the 
head, while in the hot bath. This treatment rarely fails to produce sound 

Wet Sheet Packing. 
The body is closely enveloped in a sheet, which has been dipped in cold 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 341 

or tepid water, and well rung out, and then wrapped in a blanket, and cov- 
ered with three other blankets. Remain in this pack from thirty to sixty- 
minutes, lying on the side, or in a semi-recumbent position, the duration 
being timed according to the sedative effect produced. The sweating is 
not generally excessive, but the urine is slightly increased, more especially 
when the wet sheet is continued for hours. At the conclusion, wash the 
skin in cold water as a tonic. 

The cold, wet compress consists of a piece of flannel or calico, dipped 
in cold water and rung out, and applied over the seat of pain, over this a 
piece of waterproof cloth is usually worn. 

Mercurial Yapor Bath. 
A very convenient apparatus may be extemporized for this purpose. 
Take a common oyster chafing dish, consisting of a spirit lamp, a tin frame 
work, and a tin plate, resting upon it over the lamp. Fill the tin plate 
half full of boiling water. Put ten or fifteen grains of calomel in a saucer, 
and place this in the tin plate containing the hot water. Light the lamp 
and place it on the floor, under a common cane bottomed chair, upon which 
the patients sits. He is then enveloped, chair and all, in one or more thick 
woolen blankets, and remains well covered for twenty minutes, when the 
water and mercury will be found to have disappeared. About five min- 
utes afterwards he may put on his shirt, and go to bed. It is better not 
to use a towel, as it will wipe off the calomel deposited on the skin. Use- 
ful for the cure of rupia, &c. 

Turkish Bath. 

This form of bathing is a most admirable remedy for certain diseases of 
the skin, also for gout, rheumatism, &c. It is useful for the removal of 
local congestion, cleansing the pores, and in promoting a healthy action of the 
skin, and mucous membrane, in eliminating poisonous matters from the 
blood, and in imparting a sense of elasticity to the system. 

It is injurious, when there is any obstruction to the circulation, or when 
the heart and arteries are affected with fatty degeneration, or when there are 
indications of disease of the nervous centres, or where there is a tendency 
to vert : go or fainting, in advanced life. Women who are pregnant, or 
menstruating, ought not to use it. 



342 



THE URINARY ORGANS. 



LECTURE XXXI. 

THE URINARY ORGANS. 

The organs of urination, consist of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and ure- 
thra. 

The kidneys are situated high up in the posterior and upper part of the 
cavity of the abdomen, and are partly concealed by the stomach and liver, 

Fig. 201. 




Kidneys? Ureters and Bladder; 1 Kidneys; 2 Renal Capsules; 3 the Ureters; 4 Bladder; 
5 the Rectum or Lower Bowel ; 6 Renal Arteries , 7 the Aorta; 8 Bifurcation of the Aorta; 
9 Illiac Arteries. 

situated in front of them. When the liver, stomach and other organs in 
the cavity of the abdomen are removed, as seen in the accompanying illus- 
tration, the kidneys are brought distinctly into view, No. 1, surmounted by 
2, the renal capsules. The left kidney is seen situated a little higher up 
than the right one. The kidneys are bean shaped, and a little more con- 
vex upon the anterior than upon the posterior surface. The upper end is 
also somewhat thicker and rounder than the lower end. There is a deep 
notch seen on the inside border of the kidney, called the liilus, where the 



THE URINARY ORGANS. 



343 



arteries are seen to enter, and also, where the veins come out of the kidneys. 
The kidneys are of a dark red color, and are about four inches long, two 
inches wide, and one inch thick, and weigh from four to six ounces, in the 
adult. They are usually embedded in a mass of fat, and enveloped with 
a dense fibrous capsule, which enters the hilus, and invests the blood ves- 



Fig. 202. 




Section of a Kidney. 1, Re- 
nal Capsules ; 2, Cortical Portion; 
3, Medullary Substance , 4, Conea 
5, Cavity of the Kidney; 6, Pelvis 
of the Kidney ; 7, The Ureter. 



sels and excretory ducts. 

When the kidneys are divided through the 
middle, they are seen to be composed of an ex- 
ternal layer, called the cortical substance, and 
an internal layer called the medullary substance. 
The external cortical substance is about one- 
sixth of an inch in thickness, and is of a dark 
red color. It is composed of granulated cells, 
malpigJiian bodies, and tubuli uriniferi. The 
inside medullary substance is composed of pale 
red cones, or bundles of urinary tubes, which 
are seen to originate in the cortical substance, 
and terminate in the apices of these cones in 
the cavity of the kidneys. Each cone is found 
to contain over one thousand urinary tubuli, and 
as there are fifteen cones in each kidney, there 
are more than thirty thousand of these little tu- 
buli in both kidneys, which are continually re- 
moving the urine from the blood. 

The Ureters. 

The ureters are long trumpet shaped tubes, about eighteen inches long, 
and of the size of a pipe stem, with their largest ends originating in the 
cavity of the kidneys, and their smallest ends terminating in the bladder. 
They do not pass down through the cavity of the abdomen, but behind the 
lining of the abdominal cavity, which serves to protect and support them. 
In certain diseases of the urinary passages the ureters become enormously 
distended with urine, causing great pain through the loins and through the 
cavity of the abdomen. 

The Bladder. 

The bladder is a muscular bag, lined with mucous membrane, and when 
distended, will contain about one quart or more of fluid. It is situated in 
the cavity of the pelvis, as seen in fig. 201, in front of the rectum, and 
behind the pubis in the male, and in the female, it is situated behind the 
pubis, and in front of the vagina and womb. "When it is subjected to too 
great a degree of distension, its muscular walls may become paralyzed, and 
lose their power of contraction to*expel the urine. All power or control 
over the action of the bladder is lost, allowing the urine to dribble away 
slowly, causing great annoyance and inconvenience. 



344 



THE URINARY ORGANS. 



The Urethra. 

The urethra is about eight inches in length, and is divided into three 
parts, called the prostatic, membranous, and spongy portions of the urethra. 
The prostatic portion of the urethra is about an inch and a quarter long, 
and is the widest part of this canal. The membranous portion is about 
an inch in length, and extends from the prostate gland to the bulb of the 
urethra, and is frequently the seat of stricture, causing obstruction of the 
urinary passage. The spongy portion of the urethra is much the longest, 
being about six inches in length, and about one-quarter of an inch in 
diameter. 

The mucous membrane lining this portion of the urethra, is exceedingly 
delicate, and contains the open orifices of numerous mucous follicles and 
glands, which pour out mucus to lubricate the lining surface of the ure- 
thra, and to prevent it from becoming irritated and inflamed from the 
passage of urine over its surface many times a day. Sometimes the open 
mouths of these follicles become relaxed, and enlarged, so as to arrest the 
passage of the catheter along the lining surface of the urethra into the 
bladder. 

Prostate Gland. 

The prostate gland is about the size and shape of a common Spanish 
chestnut, and surrounds the neck of the bladder and urethra, and rests upon 

Fig. 203. 




The Rectum, Bladder, Prostate Gland, &c. 1, Symphasis Pubis ; 2, Bladder ; 4, Ureter ; 
6, Seminal Duct ; 6, Seminal Vesicle ; 7, Section of the Prostate Gland, with part of it above 
the Urethra; 8, Neck of the Bladder; 9, Urethra; 13, Rectum; 20, External Opening of the 
Rectum. 



THE URINARY ORGANS. 



345 



the anterior surface of the rectum. It is divided into three lobes, two lateral 
and one middle lobe. When this gland is in a healthy condition, the middle 
lobe is quite small, and is situated behind the internal orifice of the urethra. 
In old men it frequently becomes much enlarged, and partially closes the 
urethra, and interferes with urination. 

The prostate gland is perforated by the seminal ducts, which open into 
the membranous portion of the urethra. It secretes a milky fluid, having 
an acid reaction, which lubricates the mucous membrane lining this part 
of the urethral canal. 

Seminal Yesicles. 

The seminal vesicles are lobulated membranous sacks, situated behind 
the bladder, and between that Fig. 204. 

organ and the rectum. They 
are composed of single convo- 
luted tubes, sending off irregu- 
lar shaped branches, in different 
directions, as seen in fig. 204. 
The tube of the seminal vesicles 
is about the size of a goose quill, 
and when carefully dissected is 
found to measure from four to six 
inches in length. One end of 
this tube terminates in a blunt 
or blind extremity, while the 
other end terminates in the ejac- 
ulatory duct. Each one of the 
ejaculatory ducts is about one- 
quarter of an inch in length, 
commencing at the base of the 
prostate gland, and terminating 
in the urethra. The seminal 
vesicles are designed for the re- 
ception of the seminal fluid form- 
ed by the testis. When the 
semen is examined by the microscope, it is found to be composed of a 
milky fluid, containing numerous round granules, or cells, of evolution, 
and a species of spermatozoa, or minute animal cells, containing cell o- e rms 
for the reproduction and the continuation of the human species. 

The Urine. 
The urine, which is secreted by the kidneys, is a yellowish brown fluid, 
with a specific gravity of 1.025. When it is first discharged, it is always 




View of the Posterior Surface of the Bladder . 1, a 
Seminal Vesicle; 2, the same unravelled ; 3, Vas-De- 
ferens ; 4, Ureters ; 5, Ejaculatory Ducts ; 6, Prostate 
Gland, partly divided, exhibiting the course of the 
Ejaculatory Ducts ; 7, Termination of the Bladder in 
the Urethra. 



346 THE URINARY ORGANS. 

acid, but soon becomes alkaline, in consequence of fermentation, and the 
decomposition of the urea which it contains, forming carbonate of ammo- 
nia, which is easily detected by the sense of smell, when the specimen ex- 
amined is a few hours old. 

The amount of urine secreted by the kidneys in twenty-four hours, will 
depend upon the amount of fluids taken into the stomach, and the amount 
of perspiration. When in good health the average amount is about thirty- 
five ounces. In animals who live upon herbs and grass it is always turbid 
and alkaline, and in man acid and clear. 

The urine is composed of water holding in solution a variety of solid 
substances, which have been almost completely oxidized, such as urea and 
uric acid, which are chiefly derived from the nitrogenized food we eat, and 
an extractive composed of carbonaceous materials, and mineral substances, 
such as potash and soda, &c, in the same form they were taken into the 
system, as common table salt. The sulphates and phosphates contained in 
the urine, are derived from the nervous and muscular tissues, as may be 
shown, from the fact easily observed, that increased action of the muscu- 
lar and nervous system is always followed by an increase of the sulphates 
and phosphates in the urine. 

Analysis of Healthy Urine. 

Water, 933.00 

Urea, . . . . 30.10 

Uric acid, .... .... 1.00 

Mucus and epithelium, 32 

Extractive and lactates, 17.14 

Sulphate of potash, .... ... 3.71 

Sulphate of soda, . . . . . . •. 3.16 

Phosphate of soda, ....... 2.94 

Bi phosphate of ammonia, . . . . . . 1.65 

Phosphate of lime and magnesia, . . . .1.00 

Chloride of sodium . . . . . . . 4.45 

Chloride of ammonia, . 1.50 

Silicia, 03 

1000.00 
Water nine hundred and thirty- three parts, solids sixty-seven parrs. 
All of these solid substances, except the extractive, have previously ex- 
isted in the blood in a state of solution, and are easily separated from it by a 
process of infiltration, similar to that manifested by the perspiratory glands 
of the skin. In fact the functions of the skin and kidneys are nearly identi- 
cal, and we can readily detect in perspiration or sweat, all of the same sub- 
stances, which enter into the composition of the urine, such as urea, the 
chlorides, phosphates, sulphates &c. The malpiohlan tufts in their struct- 
ure formation and functions., very closely resemble the perspiratory glands 



THE URINARY ORGANS. 347 

of the skin. The extractive of the urine is of a carbonaceous ox fatly 
nature, and is secreted by the secreting cells of the lining surface of the 
urinary tubules, much in the same way that the sebaceous follicles of the 
skin, secrete the sebaceous or oily fluid, poured out upon the surface of the 
body. It is a well known physiological law, that all organs of the human 
body of like structure, nature and uses, sympathise with each other in 
health and disease. Checked perspiration will always increase the func- 
tions of the kidneys, and deficient urination will increase perspiration. 
Exposure of the skin to colds, which check perspiration, are among the 
most frequent causes of irritation and disease of the kidneys and urinary 
passages. 

The kidneys, like the skin, are continually at work separating the 
urine from the blood, and are never at rest from the period of birth until 
death takes place, and if the functions of the skin and kidneys are inter- 
rupted or suppressed, urea and extractive will accumulate in the system, 
poisoning the blood, producing great debility, soon followed by coma, or 
stupor and death, unless these suppressed excretions are re-established. 

The renal arteries or blood-vessels of the kidneys, as seen in fig. 201, 
are extremly large for the size of the organs to which they are distributed, 
and carry into the kidneys a large amount of impure blood, loaded with 
urea, and other poisonous substances, and when it reaches the exterior or 
cortical substance of these organs, the malpighian tufts and urinary tu- 
bules separate from it water, urea, various salts and extractive, which is 
washed down through these minute tubules into the cavities of the kidneys, 
and then through the ureters into the bladder, where it is retained until 
its presence creates the desire to discharge it. 

When the urine is in a normal and healthy condition, its presence in the 
bladder causes comparatively little irritation, pain and desire to void it, 
but when it becomes laden with poisonous, acrid, substances, the irritation 
of the neck of the bladder caused by its presence, will be greatly increased, 
producing much distress and a much more frequent desire to void it. 

It will be seen that the kidneys remove on an average, about thirty-five 
ounces of urine from the blood every twenty-four hours, and that they are 
among the most important of all of the outlets of the human body, for the 
removal of the old worn out, poisonous and effete substances from the 
system. 

The wonderful rapidity with which the kidneys act for the removal of 
various substances from the blood, may be seen by experiment. When a, 
dose of iodide of potash in solution is taken into the stomach, its presence 
can be discovered, by suitable tests, in the urine, in ten minutes afterwards. 
Not only salts, but various organic substances are removed from the blood, 
with equal facility, by the action of these wonderful organs, as may be 



348 THE URINARY ORGANS. 

seen when we eat asparagus, garlic, onions, &c., their presence in the urine 
may be soon detected by their peculiarly disagreeable odor. 

From the analysis of the urine by Berzelius already given, it will bs 
seen that urea is the most important of all of the solid constituents of the 
urine, and it was long supposed that it was chiefly derived from the disin- 
tegration of the muscular system, and it was supposed that the amount of 
it found in the urine, would always indicate the rapidity of the decay and dis- 
integration of the muscular system from physical exertion, but experiments 
have shown this conclusion to be an error. Carefully conducted analysis 
shows that the amount of urea contained in the urine is greatly increased 
during the day time, and diminished during the night, showing the influ- 
ence of food upon the condition of the urine. As soon as our food has 
been eaten, the process of removing the excess immediately begins, and is 
carried on to conclusion. Over eating will always greatly increase the 
quantity of urea in the urine. 

The kidneys are important outlets for the removal of useless substances 
from the system, increasing the amount of urea contained in the urine 
voided during the day, while the urine discharged during the night or 
early in the morning, contains a larger proportion of the chlorides and 
various salts, from the food digested the day before. 
How to Examine the Urine. 

In examining the urine for the purpose of detecting any increase or de- 
crease of its normal elements, it will be necessary to ascertain its color and 
quantity. As before remarked, the urine should be of a pale yellow color, 
and the average amount voided should be about thirty-five ounces every 
twenty-four hours. The next thing to be determined, is its specific grav- 
ity, which may be easily done by means of a little instrument, called a 
urinometer. The ordinary specific gravity of healthy urine is from 1.020 
to 1.030. When tested, and the specific gravity is found to be above 1.040, 
we may suspect the presence of sugar, though this cannot be determined 
with certainty, without further examination, since the presence of excess- 
ive quantities of urea may produce a similar result. When the specific 
gravity is below 1.020, we may suspect the presence of albumen. Having 
determined the specific gravity of the urine, we shall next ascertain its re- 
action, or whether it is acid or alkaline. For this purpose, the specimen 
examined should always be fresh. When first voided, the urine, when in 
a normal or healthy condition, is always acid, and soon afterwards com- 
mences to ferment and decompose, forming ammonia, and then becomes 
alkaline. Its condition when first discharged, may be easily determined 
by using a little red and blue litmus paper. Drop a few small pieces of 
this into the cup containing the urine, and if they become red the urine is 
acid, and if they turn blue the urine is alkaline. 



THE URINARY ORGANS. 



349 



The presence of mucus in the urine causes it to ferment much more 
rapidly, and when on examination of a specimen of fresh urine, it has a 
putrid ammoniacal odor, it always indicates that there is inflammation of 
some part of the urinary passages, followed by the secretion of mucus 
which promotes such a rapid decomposition of the urine, that it begins in 
the bladder. This condition of the urine is very common among old peo- 
ple, and it shows the great importance of carefully voiding the urine at 
frequent intervals, to prevent this fermentation and decomposition in the 
bladder, as far as possible. When the urine ferments and decomposes in 
the bladder, it becomes intensely irritating, often causing inflammation of 
the neck of the bladder, with much pain and distress. 

Red Gravel. 
Healthy urine should contain about thirty parts of urea in one thousand. 



When it is present in this pro- 
per proportion, the urine remains 
at the specific gravity of 1.030, 
or below it ; and when it exists 
in the urine above this quantity, 
the specific gravity of the urine 
rises, and when we add a few 
drops of nitric acid, it will soon 
form crystals of nitrate of urea. 
When there is an excess of uric 
acid in the urine, it is generally 
high colored when it is first void- 
ed. After a short time, a brick 
dust colored sediment is deposited 
upon the bottom of the vessel, 



Fig. 205. 




Uric Acid Crystals, seen in the Urine, in Acute 



Caused by the decomposition of Eh eumatism, -with red or brick-dust colored Sedi- 
. , , n • n i ments, or " Red Gravel," Ac. Highly Magnified. 

the urea, and the formation of the 

salts of urea, such as urate of ammonia, or urate of soda, with other color- 
ing matter. The brick dust colored crystals of uric acid, may be easily 
obtained for examination, by adding half an ounce of muriatic acid to a 
pint of urine, and allowing the mixture to stand until these crystals form 
upon the bottom of the vessel. 

Treatment. For the cure of red gravel, regulate the diet. Carefully 
avoid the use of food containing starch, sugar and acids. Eat meat, bread 
and butter, principally. Avoid vegetables, fruit, and sweets of all kinds, 
and take bi carbonate of potash one ounce, mint water one pint. Dose, a 
tablespoonful three or four times a day in a glass of water. 

White Gravel. 

Sometimes the phosphates are present in such excess in the urine, as to 
23 



350 



THE TTRINARY ORGANS. 




form a copious white deposit upon the bottom of the vessel, when the 
urine stands in it overnight. This white deposit of the phosphates may be 
distinguished from the red deposit of the urates by warming it, when the 
urates will soon redissolve, while the phosphates will remain undissolved. 
The phosphates may also be distinguished from the urates by the addition 
of a few drops of nitric acid, when the phosphates will be immediately dis- 
solved, while the uric acid deposit remains untouched by the weak solution 
Fig. 206. of nitric acid. 

These deposits occur most fre- 
quently after over exercise of the 
intellectual faculties and moral 
feelings, and indicate rapid disin- 
tegration of the brain and ner- 
vous tissue. 

Treatment. For the cure of 
"white gravel," or phosphatic de- 
posits in the urine, rest, and free- 
dom from cares and anxieties is 
indispensable. The diet should 
also be well regulated, and consist 
of food abounding in phosphates, 
such as coarse wheat bread, fresh 
eggs, milk, fresh white fish, &c. 
and the use of phosphoric and nitromuriatic acids internally. Take from 
three to five drops of diluted nitro muriatic acid, in a wineglassful of 
sweetened water after each meal, three times a day. Bathe the skin with 
a cool salt bath daily. Continue this treatment until the urine assumes 
its natural appearance. 

Oxalate of Lime. 
Oxalic acid combined with lime, forming the oxalate of lime, frequently 
occurs as a morbid product in the urine of persons broken down by disease, 
and various excesses. It is often noticed, in the urine of persons broken 
down by hard study, or excessive mental application, or whose nervous 
system has been weakened by excessive indulgence in venery, or by mas- 
turbation. Those persons who suffer with this form of disease, usually 
complain of languor and debility, with impaired memory, and a sense of 
weight, and dull, heavy ache or pain in the loins, with indigestion, &c. 
The urine is of high specific gravity, being loaded with urea and mucus, 
mixed with crystalized oxalates. It is this disease which has been de- 
scribed by Dr. G-olding Bird, as " oxaluria," who attributes its production 
to destructive disintegration of the tissues of the body. It is often found 
in the Mood of those whose urine is found to contain it. 



Granules and Crystals of the Phosphate of Lime 
Ac, seen in " White Gravel." Highly Magnified. 



THE URINARY ORGANS. 



351 



When urine containing oxalic acid is first voided, it is of a pale straw 
color, and when it cools, sends down a copious deposit of cream colored 
sediment, which is produced by the fermentation and decomposition of the 
urine, and the formation of the oxalate of lime. The microscope is the 
best means for the detection of this salt. When examined by the micros- 
cope, the crystals are seen varying in size and shape. Some are well 
marked octahedra, and others are shaped like dumb bells, as seen in fig. 207. 
These crystals of oxalate of lime Fig. 207. 

are often found mixed with other 
earthy phosphates, mucus, &c. 

Treatment. Carefully regulate 
the diet, avoiding all kinds of food 
containing oxalic acid, such as the 
rhubarb plant, sauce, &c, and all 
sweet food, containing sugar. Min- 
eral acids are found the most use- 
ful of all remedies, particularly 
the nitro muriatic acid, in doses 
of four or five drops, taken after 
eating, three times a day, in a 
wineglassful of water. This dis- 
ease is often associated with sem- 
inal emissions, caused by focal ir- 
ritation of the neck of the bladder, produced by the passage of urine 
loaded with crystals of oxalic acid. Hip baths, tending to reduce this 
local irritation, are of great use. Astringent washes, applied to the lining 
surface of the urinary passages, by means of a long catheter pointed syr- 
inge, are often found useful to allay this local irritation of the urethra, 
and arrest these emissions. 




Appearance of the Crystals of Oxalate of Lime, or 
Yellow Gravel." Highly Magnified. 



Albumen. 

When the urine contains albumen, its specific gravity is below 1.025, 
and often falls as low as 1.004, and is light colored. But this appearance 
of the urine is not uniform. Sometimes it is dark colored, and the specific 
gravity is nearly 1.030. When the urine is suspected to contain albumen, 
place some of it in a test tube, and raise the temperature, and it will coa- 
gulate, like the boiled white part of an egg, before it reaches the boiling 
point. This white precipitate might be mistaken for some of the phos- 
phates, but it may easily be distinguished from any of them by the addition 
of a few drops of nitric acid, which will quickly dissolve the phosphates, 
but leaves the coagulated albumen untouched. When the urine is albu- 
minous, and at the same time contains a large quantity of the alkalies, it 



352 THE EHINARY ORGANS. 

must be rendered acid by the addition of a few drops of acid before it 
will coagulate the albumen, and form a deposit. When albumen is de- 
tected in the urine only in small quantities, it indicates that the diet may 
have contained an excess of that kind of food. It is also sometimes pre- 
sent after scarlet fever, for a short time ; and the urine of pregnant women 
sometimes contains a little of it. But when it occurs in considerable 
quantities, and continues for some time, its presence is always of grave 
Fig. 208. import, and indicates serious dis- 

ease of the kidneys, involving the 
malpighian tufts, and secreting 
cells of the convoluted urinary- 
tubules. When it is the result 
of acute inflammation, speedy re- 
covery may take place, but most 
frequently the kidneys gradually 
undergo structural changes, the 
secreting surface of the urinary- 
tubes being destroyed, and the 
whole kidney assuming a dirty 
yellow color, and undergoing gran- 
ular or fatty degeneration. This 

Epithelial Casts and Cells, seen m the Urine, in . 

a case of Acnte Bright's Disease of the Kidneys, disease of the kidneys, known as 

Highly Magnified. "Bright's disease," has become 

one of the most common of all the diseases to which these organs are liable. 
Blood is some times found in the urine, and it may be derived from a va- 
riety of sources. When it comes from the bladder or the uterus, it is 
usually in the form of clots, but when it comes from the kidneys, it rarely 
forms a clot, but simply imparts to the urine a reddish brown color, and 
when it remains sufficient time in the vessel, it forms a sediment, which is 
found, on examination with a microscope to contain blood-cells. When 
heated in a test tube, the coagulum or deposit is of a brown tint, instead 
of dense white, as seen when the urine contains albumen only. In advanc- 
ed stages of this disease, the urine often contains casts from the inside of 
the urinary tubules, which, when examined by the microscope, are found 
to be composed of kidney shaped cells, mixed with granules of fat, and 
granular substances, as seen in fig. 208. These casts are often very delicate, 
and almost colorless, and not easily seen without the aid of a magnifying 
glass. Their absence in this disease is always regarded as a favorable 
indication, and their presence quite unfavorable, indicating that, without 
great care, it will be impossible to prolong the life of the invalid for any con- 
siderable period. 

Bright's disease of the kidneys has become one of the most common of 




THE URINARY ORGANS. 353 

all diseases incident to these organs. It is caused by gross living — the 

abuse of wine, beer, alcohol, and frequent exposure to sudden changes of 

heat and cold, checked perspiration, &c. 

Treatment. Regulate the diet, and by so doing, give the kidneys as 

little to do as possible. Avoid the use of excessive quantities of meat, 

and other albuminous food. Bathe the skin daily in warm salt and water. 

Wear flannels to keep the skin warm, and perspiration free and active, as 

a means of relieving the diseased kidneys. Carefully avoid stimulating 

diuretics, which only increase the irritation and excitement of the inflamed 

or disorganized kidneys. Take from three to five drops of nitro muriatic 

acid in a little water, after eating, three times a day, to aid digestion, and 

as an alterative tonic. Avoid exposure to heats and colds, and a damp 

atmosphere. 

Diabetic Urine. 

When the urine contains sugar, it is usually very light colored, and of 
a high specific gravity, reaching 1.050 to 1.060. There are several methods 
of detecting sugar in the urine : of these, that by fermentation is probably 
the best, and most reliable. In examining the urine by this test, use a small 
bottle with a long neck, and a wine glass. Put a teaspoonful of yeast in 
the glass, and nearly fill it with the urine intended to be examined, and 
mix it well. Fill the long necked bottle with urine, and place it in the 
cup with the mouth down in the mixture of yeast and urine, and set it 
away for a day or two in a warm place. If there is any sugar in the urine, 
fermentation soon takes place, forming carbonic acid gas, which accumulates 
in the upper end of the inverted bottle, and alcohol is found in the urine 
mixed with the yeast. The pres- Fig. 209. 

ence of carbonic acid may be dem- 
onstrated by pouring off the liquid, 
and then agitating the gas with a 
little lime water, forming a white 
sediment of the carbonate of lime. 
The presence of alcohol may usu- 
ally be detected by its peculiar) 
odor. 

Pus, or Matter. 

The presence of pus in the urine 

may be easily determined by the 

microscope, when the sediment 

reveals numerous pus corpuscles, 

Which are easily recognized. PuS Appearance of Pus, or "matter" Corpuscles in the 
, ,. .. . , , n Urine, on the lower side, the same after the action of 

may be distinguished from mucus Acet i C A cid on them. 




354 THE URINARY ORGANS. 

in the urine, by shaking the bottle containing it, when, if it is mucus, it 
will present a stringy, ropy appearance ; but if it is pus, it will be equally 
diffused through the urine, presenting a turbid or milky appearance. When 
pus or matter is present in the urine, it is supposed to indicate suppuration 
of some portion of the urinary passages, but this is not always a correct 
inference, especially in females, since it may be derived from the mouth or 
neck of the womb, or some part of the vagina. 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 355 



LECTUEE XXXII. 

DISEASES OF THE UKINAKY OEGANS. 

The organs of urination are liable to many diseases, produced by a var- 
iety of causes, not well understood by those who do not especially devote 
their attention to the examination of these organs. 

Congestion op the Kidneys. 

The kidneys often become congested by exposure to heats and colds, 
which check perspiration, and increase the labors and excitement of these 
organs ; from over doses of turpentine, or cantharadies, from the use of 
unwholesome, or indigestible food, from the excessive use of alcoholic 
stimulants, &c. 

Symptoms. When the kidneys become congested, there is pain and ten- 
derness on pressure in the lumbar region on each side of the spine, defi- 
cient urination, the urine being high colored, and sometimes mixed with 
blood. 

Treatment. In active congestion of the kidneys, confine the diet to 
light gruels, or liquid food, use warm salt hip baths, apply cups to the back, 
on each side of the spine, and take saline cathartics, such as the citrate of 
magnesia. 

Uraemia. 

This disease is a kind of blood poisoning, caused by a retention of poi- 
sonous substances in the blood, which should be removed by the action of 
the kidneys. 

Symptoms. When the kidneys become diseased and inactive, and the 
urine is retained in the system, poisoning the blood, it causes nausea, vom- 
iting, headache, dimness of vision, convulsions, stupor, coma, and when not 
relieved, ending in death. 

Treatment. In uraemic blood poisoning, the great object of all treatment 
is to remove the poisonous substances from the blood, by increasing the 
action of all of the organs of excretion, more especially the bowels and the 
skin. To increase perspiration, resort to the warm bath, hot air bath, vapor 
bath, &c, followed by vigorous friction. At the same time, the digestive 
canal and liver are stimulated to increased action, by the use of saline 
cathartics, such as Epsom salts, cream of tartar, citrate of magnesia, &c. 
The back on each side of the spine should be cupped, and counter irritar 
tion produced, by the application of stimulating hniments, &c. 



356 diseases of the urinary organs. 

Nephritis. 
When the kidneys become congested, and the disease is neglected or 
improperly treated, it may result in inflammation of these organs, attended 
with an increased tenderness and soreness of the back, on each side of the 
spine, acccompanied with fever, and a scanty secretion of high colored urine, 
&c. When inflammation results in suppuration, it will be followed by a 
purulent discharge, resulting in disorganization or degeneration of the kid- 
neys, commonly called 

Bright's Disease. 

Albuminaria, or Bright's disease of the kidneys, is caused by structural 
change or disorganization of these organs. There are various stages of 
this diseases, commencing with nephritis, or simple inflammation ; followed 
by a second stage, or the secretion of albumen; and a third or last stage, 
desquamation, or discharge of epithelial casts, from the lining surface of 
the urinary tubules. When the kidneys are examined in these various 
stages of Bright's disease, in the first stage the kidneys appear enlarged, 
smooth and white, in the second stage granular, red and contracted, and 
in the third stage white, waxy, or fatty. 

Causes of Bright' s disease. This disease may be produced by impru- 
dent living, by gross intemperance, by exposure and sudden changes of 
temperature, checked perspiration, throwing this secretion upon the kidneys, 
and as the result of scarlet fever, and other eruptive diseases of the skin. 

Symptoms. Chilliness, headache, nausea, vomiting, backache, pain in the 
limbs, checked perspiration, difficult respiration, followed by fever, with 
local puihness, or manifestations of dropsy. The urine is deficient, very 
heavy, dark colored, and loaded with albumen and blood. When examined 
with the microscope, it exhibits epithelial casts and cells, from the lining 
surface of the urinary tubules, that empty their contents into the cavity of 
the kidneys. 

Treatment. Leeches or cups to the back, on each side of the spine, 
followed by hot water applications, using a small flannel blanket wrung out 
of hot water, fold and apply it to the surface of the lower portion of the 
spine. Purge freely with citrate of magnesia, or jalap and cream of tartar. 
Use demulcent drinks, such as flaxseed, or slippery elm bark tea, and re- 
main quiet in bed in a well warmed and well ventilated room. 

Chronic Bright's Disease. 
This disease is so slow and insidious in its approaches, as scarcely to 
attract attention for months, or perhaps years. It is attended with a grad- 
ual loss of strength and energy, and is attended with a peculiar lemon waxy 
pallor, and pufliness of the face, or " bloated " expression, with shortness 
of breath, and frequent inclination to urinate, followed in time by dropsy 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



357 



Fig. 210. 



of the lower extremities and general prostration. In chronic Bright's dis- 
ease the tendency is always towards a fatal result. Some die of uraemic blood 
poisoning, others of local dropsy, others of pneumonia, pleurisy, or disease 
of the heart, and others by various fatal complications. 

The presence of albumen in the urine, with a tendency to local dropsy, is 
always significant of the nature of the disease, especially if these condi- 
tions continue for any length of time. The tests for the detection of al- 
bumen, have already been mentioned in another place, in what has been 
said about the urine. The microscope will also show epithelium casts, 
intermixed with granules, oil globules, 
&c. Degeneration of the kidneys, 
causes albuminaria, by allowing the 
blood to pass through the cortical sub- 
stance of the kidney into the urinary 
tubules, almost unchanged. 

In fact the disorganized kidneys are 
worn out, and have lost their power of 
separating the urea from the blood sent 
to them for the secretion of the urine. 
Treatment. As before mentioned, 
the tendency of this disease is always 
towards a fatal termination, and the 
duration of life will depend upon the 
skill and prudence with which the dis- 
ease is managed. One may live many 
years by great prudence and skillful 
management, but always as an invalid, 
with a constant tendendency from the 
least imprudence in eating, drinking, 
and exposure to heats, and colds, to 
disease, which will gradually undermine and break down the strongest 
constitution. Another, under precisely the same circumstances, by care- 
lessness, or reckless imprudence in eating and drinking, and constant ex- 
posure, will soon reach a fatal termination of his disease. The great object 
to be attained in the treatment of this disease, is to diminish the activity 
of the structural changes taking place in the kidneys, and to prevent the 
accumulation of urea in the blood, causing local inflammation in various 
other parts of the body, producing dangerous complications, and to sustain 
the failing strength of the whole body, and lengthen out the thread of 
life as long as it is possible for medicine and skill to accomplish. For this 
purpose, we must first direct our attention to the diet, and other hygienic 
means. Carefully avoid exposure to heats and cold, sudden changes of 




Bright's disease of the Kidney. The Kid- 
ney becomes disorganized, and assumes a 
granular consistence and dirty yellow color. 

a return, or an increase of the 



358 



DISEASES OP THE URINARY ORGANS. 



temperature, or checked perspiration, throwing the functions of the skin 
upon the kidneys in their disabled condition, by keeping the skin covered 
with flannels. Avoid all fatigue or excitement. If intemperate, abandon at 
once the use of all alcoholic stimulants, except when advised by a skillful and 
competent physician. Bathe daily in tepid water, carefully avoid chilling 
the skin, keep the bowels well open, as a means of diverting the diseased 
action away from the kidneys. The various saline laxatives are the best 
for this purpose, when required. The various natural saline mineral waters 
are valuable for this purpose. A light and nourishing diet is of the ut- 
most importance, such as is easily digested, and affords sufficient nourish- 
ment to sustain the failing strength, milk will answer this purpose perhaps 
as well or better than other food. Iron, quinine and strychnine will do 
more good than any other tonics in this wasting disease. When the limbs 
and other parts of the body become dropsical, use jalap and cream of tar- 
tar, as often as required to remove the dropsical accumulations. As diu- 
reties, nothing will be found superior to the compound spirit of juniper 
and acetate of potash. 

When other complications occur during the progress of this disease, they 
must be treated according to the peculiar circumstances attending each 
case. 

Encysted Kidney. 

Inflammation of the kidney if not arrested by appropriate treatment, 
Fig. 211. ma J also result in other forms of or- 

ganic degeneration. Sometimes it 
terminates in the formation of one 
or more cysts, filled with a brown or 
yellowish fluid of the consistence of 
thin honey. This disease may go on 
until only a mere shell of the origin- 
al healthy kidney remains. This 
disease is very slow and insidious in 
its progress, until it finally totally de- 
stroys the functions of this organ. 
While the other kidney remains in a 
healthy condition, the disease may 
exist for many years without destroy- 
ing life. These cysts sometimes open 
into the cavity of the kidney, and 
discharge their contents. In other 

Encysted Kidney, containing numerous sacs instances, they have Opened into the 

filled with fluid. stomach and intestinal canal, followed 

with favorable results. No especial treatment is required for this rare 




DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



359 



Fig. 212. 



form of disease of the kidneys, except that already directed for acute and 
chronic inflammation of these organs. 

Tubercular Diseases op the Kidneys. 

Tubercular or scrofulous disease of the kidneys, often occurs as a com- 
plication in persons of a strumous constitution. It is estimated that more 
than sixteen per cent, of scrofulous children have tubercular disease of the 
kidneys, and about six per cent, of all adults afflicted with the same con- 
stitutional disease, have tubercular deposits in the kidneys. 

Symptoms. When the kidneys become the seat of extensive tubercu- 
lar deposits, there will be a dull, heavy aching pain in the loins, with fre- 
quent desire to urinate. The urine is generally turbid at first, then bloody, 
and finally purulent, after the tubercles begin to soften and decay. Soon 
the disease begins to manifest itself in other organs of the body. The 
lungs, bowels and liver become impli- 
cated, and the disease finally becomes 
a case of complicated consumption. 
When both of the kidneys are filled 
with tubercular deposits, and their 
functions are suspended, the blood is 
soon vitiated with uraemic poison, and 
still further complication. It is only 
after the tubercles begin to soften, and 
pus begins to be discharged with the 
urine, that we can, with certainty, de- 
tect the true nature of this disease. 
When the urine is now examined with 
the microscope, it is found to contain 
granular and tubercular matter, with 
shreds of connective tissue, pieces of 
disintegrated mucous membrane, &c. 
These appearances of the urine, ac- 
companied with hectic fever, and great 
emaciation, indicate the true nature 
of this affection. 

Treatment. This disease must be treated on the same general princi- 
ples governing the treatment of pulmonary consumption. Carefully reg- 
ulate the diet, eating only light, digestible and nourishing food, such as 
new milk, cream, beef tea, boiled white meats, rice, sago, wheat bread, &c. 
Keep the skin clean and warm. If the disease becomes complicated with 
uraemia, then such remedies may be used as will be found mentioned in 
the treatment of that affection. 




Tubercular Scrofulous Matter, deposited in 
the Kidneys. 



360 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



Cancer oe the Kidneys. 

The kidneys frequently become affected with medullary sarcoma. When it 
occurs as a primary affection, it is almost always in infancy. As a second- 
ary disease, it may manifest itself at any period of life. It usually begins 
in the outside or cortical substance of the kidney, and rapidly increases in 
size, often forming a tumor of enormous proportions. This disease may 
be distinguished from other affections of the kidneys, by the frequent oc- 
currence of hemorrhages from the bladder, accompanied with the rapid 
Yj G 213. growth of an abdominal tumor. There 

is not much pain on pressure of the 
tumor. When examined through the 
walls of the abdomen, it presents a 
smooth surface, often lobulated, and is 
firmly fixed in its position. The skin 
soon assumes a lemon waxy hue, and 
all the indications of well marked can- 
cerous cachexia, or constitutional taint, 
soon manifest themselves. This affec- 
tion is regarded as the most fatal of all 
varieties of cancer. It is very rapid 
in its growth, and generally terminates 
fatally, in from six to eight months. 

Treatment. The same treatment as 
that which is most useful to palliate 
this form of disease, when it exists in 
any other part of the body, is the 

Medullary Sarcoma, or Cancer of the Kidneys. mogt ^^ here# S up p rt the failing 

strength by the use of light, nourishing and digestible food, and the judi- 
cious use of opiates, when the pain is so severe as to require them. 

GrRAVEL. 

There are several varieties of gravel or stone, which may form in the 
cavity of the kidneys, in the bladder, or urinary passages. Sometimes the 
stone may be composed of uric acid. This variety of stone only occurs 
in those persons whose urine is loaded with uric acid, which accumulates as a 
brick dust colored sediment in the bottom of the vessel, when it stands for 
a few hours. In other instances, the stone is composed of oxalate of lime, 
and occurs in those persons whose urine is loaded with oxalic acid. When 
the urine is alkaline, sometimes a stone may be formed in the cavity of 
the kidneys or bladder, composed of phosphate or carbonate of lime. 

The most prominent symptoms, indicating the formation of stone, will 




DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 



361 



Fig. 214. 




be pain through the region of this organ. Pain and 
itching along the urethra, retraction of the testis, and 
interruption of* the discharge of urine, the flow of 
water being suddenly cut off, by the stone covering 
the internal orifice of the urethra. When these 
symptoms manifest themselves, the interior of the 
bladder should always be examined by means of a 
sound, in order to ascertain with certainty the pre- 
sence of stone in the cavity of this organ. 

Sometimes one or more small concretions will form 
in the cavity of the kidney, causing pain in the Mulberry Calculus or stone 
back, with chills and fever, especially after taking from the Bladder, 
a little cold, or an attack of indigestion. When these concretions are 
retained in the cavity of the kidneys, they may gradually increase in 
size, until they not only fill the entire cavity of this organ, but greatly dis- 
tend it. More frequently they escape from the cavity of the kidneys into 
ureters. The largest end of these trumpet shaped tubes, being upwards, 
when a small renal calculus enters its cavity, it will pass down, until the 
cavity of the ureter becomes so much reduced in size, as to resist its fur- 
ther progress. The cavity of the ureter being now obstructed, the urine 
continues to accumulate in the upper end of this tube, gradually dilating 
it until it becomes large Fig. 215. 

enough for the calculus 
to pass down a little fur- 
ther. In this way the 
ureters become gradual- 
ly dilated until the stone 
escapes into the bladder, 
as seen in the accompa- 
nying illustration. The 
passage of renal calculi 
causes severe pain, or an 
"attack of the gravel," 
as it is often called. 
When examined care- 
fully, these little calculi, 
or gravel stones are 
found to be composed 

of Uric acid, or the Urates Renal Calculi in the Cavity of the Kidney, and their passage 

ty •,. , into the Bladder, causing Renal Colic, &c. 

oi lime or soda. 

Treatment of the Gravel. Our attention should first be directed to 




362 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 

neutralizing this acid in the urine, and rendering it slightly alkaline, by 
careful regulation of the diet, and the administration of alkalies and neu- 
tral salts, such as the bi carbonate of soda, or potash in flaxseed tea, in 
full doses, three or four times a day. The severe" colicy pains attending 
the passage of renal calculi into the bladder, may best be relieved by 
the use of spirits of nitric ether, and extract of belladonna. Spirits of 
nitric ether, one ounce; extract of belladonna, five grains. Mix, shake 
up and take ten or fifteen drops, three or four times a day; and take a hot 
bath, and apply flannels wet in hot water, to the spine and abdomen. 

Those who are inclined to attacks of gravel, should carefully regulate 
their diet. It cannot be insisted upon too often or too much, that a large 
proportion of these diseases of the kidneys originate in imprudent eating 
and drinking. When a red stain is noticed in the vessel after the urine 
has been poured out, it indicates that such persons should avoid the use 
of strong animal diet, and highly stimulating food. Sugar, acids, wine, 
beer, whiskey, and all kinds of food containing much starch or sugar, 
or which readily ferment and form acids in the stomach and intestinal canal. 
"When there is much acidity and flatulency, small doses of bi carbonate of 
soda, Rochelle salts, or the acetate, citrate, or carbonate of potash, may be 
taken morning and evening. Twenty to thirty grains of bi carbonate of 
soda, and thirty drops of compound spirit of lavender, in a glass of soda 
water, morning and evening, will afford great relief. 

When the ureters have become dilated, and the calculi have escaped 
into the bladder, it will be followed by an urgent desire to urinate. The 
urine having escaped from the cavity of the kidneys, and dilated ureters, 
at once fills the bladder, creating pain and a desire to discharge it. If the 
renal calculi, which have just entered the bladder, are not too large, they 
will fortunately escape through the cavity of the urethra, while being for- 
ced along the cavity of this canal, by the current of the urine. Sometimes 
when too large to escape, they are retained in the cavity of the bladder, 
and gradually increase in size, causing much pain and inconvenience and 
finally bring on inflammation, and other disease of the bladder and the 
urinary organs. 

Numerous experiments have been tried, with the view of discovering 
a solvent capable of dissolving stone in the bladder, or urinary passages, 
and at the same time not impair the mucous membrane lining the bladder, 
&c. When the calculi are small, and recent formations, weak solutions of 
the salts of potash are found the most efficient, for the purpose of break- 
ing down and dissolving calculi, composed of uric acid, or the urates and 
oxalates of lime, &c. Diluted nitric acid is proposed as a remedy for phos- 
phatic calculi. Before administering any of these remedies, it will be ne- 
cessary to determine the variety of calculi, by an examination of the urine. 



diseases of the urinary organs. 363 

Diabetes. 

There are two varieties of this disease, called diabetes insipidus, attended 
with a copious discharge of light colored urine of low specific gravity, 
with excessive thirst ; and diabetes mettitus, attended with profuse secretion 
of urine loaded with sugar. Diabetes insipidus occurs most frequently 
early in life, from the age of five to fifteen. It is caused by exposure to 
cold, damp atmosphere, drinking too much cold water while heated, intem- 
perance, deranged nutrition, &c. 

Treatment. Light nourishing food only, such as meat, bran bread, eggs, 
butter, cabbage, onions and spinach. Carefully abstain from the use of 
all vegetables, bread, or fruit containing starch or sugar. Keep the skin 
warm, and stimulate its functions by the use of warm salt baths, followed 
by abundance of friction Yarious astringent tonics have been advised by 
different authors, in the treatment of this disease, among others, the iron 
alum seems to be the most likely to afford relief. 

Inflammation of the Bladder. 

The bladder may become irritated, inflamed, or ulcerated, from a variety 
of causes, such as blows, or other injuries, the presence of stone, or gravel 
in its cavity, irritating diuretics, retention of the urine, from stricture 
or enlargement of the prostate gland, decomposition of the urine, from 
long retention in the bladder, &c. When the mucous membrane lining 
the bladder becomes irritated or inflamed, it will cause pain and bearing 
down feelings, inclination to urinate frequenty, with chills, followed by fever, 
&c. In severe cases there is nausea, cold perspiration, vomiting, and scanty 
discharges of urine, mixed with mucus, blood and purulent matter, having 
a strong alkaline and foetid odor. 

Treatment. Inflammation of the bladder must be treated, according to 
the severity of the symptoms, by leeches to the surface of the skin, over 
the bladder, followed by warm fomentations, or flannels wrung out of hot 
water. Barley or flaxseed tea, injections of laudanum and starch into the 
rectum, acetate of potash internally. To prevent the retained urine from 
decomposing, use injections of lime water and glycerin. If there is severe 
pain, opium will be required. 

Retention of Urine. 

The urine may be retained in the bladder, from enlargement of the 
prostate gland, or from stone in the bladder, causing mechanical obstruction, 
or from congestion and inflammation of the neck of the bladder, caused 
by the injudicious use of irritating diuretics, such as cantharides or spirit 
of turpentine, or it may also be caused by paralysis of the nerves of the 
bladder, from debility and exposure. 

Treatment, When the urine is retained from paralysis of the nerves of 



364 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 

the bladder, the urine must be drawn off with a catheter, at least twice a 
day, to prevent decomposition of the urine in the bladder, greatly increas- 
ing the disease. If there is inflammation and spasm of the neck of the 
bladder, use a warm hip bath for thirty minutes, followed by injections of 
warm water into the rectum, and apply cloths wrung out of warm water, 
to relax the spasm. Injections of laudanum and starch into the rectum, 
will often produce the best effects. 

Incontinence of Urine. 

This disease is not common among adults, but is very common among 
children, and is very troublesome, especially at night. 

Treatment. The remedies most employed for the treatment of this an- 
noying disease, are syrup of iodide of iron, tincture of nux vomica, tinct- 
ure of belladona, and benzoic acid. 

Disease of the Prostate Gland. 

The prostate gland which surrounds the neck of the bladder, is subject 
to acute and chronic inflammation, enlargement, induration, schirrhus, and 
the formation of urinary calculi. 

Inflammation of the prostate gland rarely occurs as a primary affection. 
It is almost always caused by some other disease, and only occurs as a com- 
plication or sympathetic affection. It is often caused by gonorrheal inflam- 
mation, or from the abuse of stimulating diuretics, such as turpentine or 
cantharides, or from excessive venery, more especially in men about the 
age of thirty. When the prostate gland becomes inflamed, it is attended 
with deep seated pain and weight, with burning heat, with frequent desire 
to urinate, and intense spasmodic pain in discharging the urine. When 
the gland is examined, by introducing the fingers into the lower portion 
of the bowel, it is found to be enlarged, and exquisitely tender and irritable, 
causing pain when the bowels are moved, with straining, and bearing down 
sensations, &c. 

Treatment. Reduce the inflammation, by saline cathartics, such as the 
citrate and sulphate of magnesia, or Rochelle salts, with small doses of 
tartar emetic, and demulcent drinks, such as flaxseed tea, gum arabic water, 
barley water, &c. Cup or leech the perineum along the course of the 
urethra, followed by warm hip baths for ten to thirty minutes, and apply 
fomentations of laudanum on flannel cloths, wrung out of hot water, and 
remain quiet in bed. When inflammation of the prostate gland is neglected 
or improperly treated, it may result in suppuration, and the formation of 
an abcess either in the gland itself, or its cellular envelop. When inflam- 
mation of this gland terminates in the formation of an abcess, it will be 
followed by the usual chills, or rigors, and a beating or throbbing pain. 
An abcess of the prostate gland should be opened early, to prevent its 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 365 

bursting into the urethra, or the rectum. Retention of the urine is caused 
by the enlargement, or swelling and infiltration of the parts around the 
neck of the bladder, often rendering it necessary to draw off the urine, by 
the use of a catheter. 

Chronic inflammation of the prostate gland as a primary affection, some- 
times occurs in debilitated and exhausted constitutions. When this dis- 
ease occurs in such constitutions, without being preceded by gonorrhoea, 
there is not only the usual tenderness of the perineum, with pain, weight, 
&c, in the region of the gland, but there will be considerable discharge 
from time to time, of viscid, ropy mucus, the morbid secretions of the 
prostate gland, which is often mistaken for semen. 

This fluid is sometimes ejected by the spasmodic contraction of the ac- 
celeratores urinse muscles, which become affected by the sympathetic ex- 
tension of the irritation caused by this affection to them. At other times, 
this secretion is squeezed out, when at stool, by the pressure of the faeces, 
and the contraction of the muscles in expelling the contents of the rec- 
tum. The continuance of this disease is accompanied with much irritation 
about the neck of the bladder, and debility of the generative organs. Its 
existence is always the source of much distress, causing the mind to be 
perpetually harassed with the dread of impotency. The true nature of 
this discharge can at once be determined by the absence of the character- 
istic spermatozoa ! 

Treatment. Chronic inflammation of the prostate gland, occurring in 
pale, cachectric and debilitated persons, may be relieved, by leeches applied 
to the perineum, followed by warm baths, and in chronic, long standing 
cases, by small blisters, and saline cathartics, taken early in the morning, 
followed by alterative tonics, such as small doses of bi chloride of mercury, 
in tincture of bark or iron, as follows : muriatic tincture of iron one 
ounce, diluted acetic acid two ounces, syrup of lemon one ounce, liquor of 
acetate of ammonia two ounces, water two ounces. Mix, and add bi chlo- 
rate of mercury two grains. Take a teaspoonful in a little water after 
meals, three times a day. Should there be much trouble in urinating, 
take the following : liquor potassse one ounce, copaiba one ounce, tincture 
of hydrociamus one ounce. Take a teaspoonful three times a day. 

Enlargement of the Prostate Gland, 
Chronic enlargement of the prostate gland rarely occurs before the age 
of fifty. At this period of life, certain changes begin to occur in many 
of the organs of the body. The hair becomes grey, the arteries become 
brittle, the areas senilis forms on the corneas of the eyes, the prostate 
gland increases in size, the urethra becomes dilated, and the coats of the 
bladder thickened. It is only when the enlargement of the prostate gland 

24 



366 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 




Enlargement of the Prostate Gland, obstructing the pass 
age of the Urine. 



is in excess, or out of proportion to the changes which take place in the 

bladder and urethra, that it becomes the source of anxiety, or interferes 

"with the escape of the urine. Some degree of enlargement of this gland 

■p. Qlrt i s common to advanced life, 

but not sufficient to contract 
the urethra, or to interfere 
with urination. This natu- 
ral tendency to enlargement 
of this gland in all persons 
after the age of fifty, is often 
increased by imprudent ha- 
bits of living at this period 
of life. Irritation and in- 
flammation of the neck of 
the bladder, excessive vene- 
ry, gonorrhoeal inflammation, 
&c, causing congestion, irri- 
tation and inflammation of 
the prostate gland; and if 
the habits and indulgences producing these diseases are kept up, result in 
the gradual enlargement of this organ. 

Small tumors very frequently form in the prostate gland. When closely 
examined, these tumors are found to be fibrous in their structure, and very 
nearly resemble the structure and appearance of the tissues of the organ 
in which they are formed. More frequently, tumors of a polypoid charac- 
ter sprout out of the posterior portion of the middle lobe of this organ, 
as seen in fig. 217. Those tumors assume a pyriform shape, even in 
their earliest stages of development, and vary in size from a pea to a small 
pear. There seems to be a close resemblance between these growths and 
polypoid tumors of the womb, as pointed out by Velpeau, and other 
authors. 

These tumors and enlargements of the prostate gland are productive of 
great inconveniencies, with regard to the passage of the water, often giving 
rise to retention and incontinence, or to a kind of mixture of both condi- 
tions. When only one side of the gland enlarges, it gives the urethra a 
bent or tortuous course. When the middle lobe is enlarged, it often covers 
the internal orifice of the urethra, causing retention of the urine. When 
both of the lateral lobes are enlarged on each side, they widen the neck 
of the bladder, and dilate the internal orifice of the urethra, so as to in- 
duce incontinence of the urine, and a continuous dribbling will take place, 
through the fissure caused by the enlarged lateral lobes. 

When the middle lobe of the prostate gland becomes enlarged, causing 



DISEASES OP THE URINARY ORGANS. 



367 



a retention of urine in the bladder, 
the urine ferments and putrifies, 
forming ammonia and other alkalies, 
&c, causing, by their presence in the 
bladder, much irritation to the mu- 
cous membrane lining this organ, 
which finally results in inflammation, 
followed by thickening of the coats 
of the bladder, &c. Soon the ure- 
ters become affected, and are dilated, 
as seen in fig. 217, and finally the 
disease extends to the kidneys, in- 
volving the whole urinary apparatus. 
The most prominent symptoms of 
enlargement of the prostate gland, 
will be mechanical difficulty in pass- 
ing the water, occurring in a man 
past middle life. At first, there will 
be a necessity to strain a little, before 
the urine will flow, and then after 
the bladder has been apparently emp- 
tied, there may be an involuntary 
escape of a small quantity of water. 
A longer time is required to pass the 
water, on account of diminished contractile power in the bladder. The 
urine soon becomes strong or fetid, and is often mixed with mucus. These 
symptoms may continue, with slight variation for months or years, before 
a final attack of retention of the urine occurs. As the gland becomes 
larger, the bladder becomes less and less capable of emptying itself, and a 
small quantity of urine, mixed with mucus, and various sediments, is now 
retained, which ferments and putrifies, causing inflammation of the blad- 
der, and the formation of pus or matter, which soon becomes horribly 
offensive ! 

The degree of enlargement of the prostate gland, can only be ascer- 
tained by an examination with the finger through the lower bowel, and by 
the introduction of a catheter. When the finger is well oiled, and intro- 
duced through the rectum, the degree of enlargement can easily be de- 
termined. By the introduction of the gum elastic or silver catheter, the 
extent of disease or enlargement of the middle lobe, can be more easily 
made out. Retention of the urine constitutes the only danger from en- 
largement of the prostate gland. This dangerous complication comes on 
gradually in most cases. At first, there is only a little difficulty in passing 




Enlargement of the Middle Lobe of the Pros- 
tate Gland, closing the internal Orifice of the 
Urethra. Distension of the Ureters, Ac. 



368 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 

the urine. It will soon be ascertained by the invalid, that the more he 
strains to effect this object, the less readily will it discharge. When he 
remains passive and quiet, and does not strain, it will flow faster, and with 
greater freedom. 

Treatment of enlarged prostate should have for its objects, to improve 
the condition of the urine, and diminish irritation of the urinary organs. 
With these objects in view, when the urine is found to be acid, the pro- 
per remedy will be a sedative like hyosciamus, combined with an alkali. 
If the urine is alkaline, then the remedy will be hyosciamus, or opium 
combined with nitric acid. When the urine is mixed with ropy mucus, then 
infusions of uva ursi, or buchu, and when it contains pus, or matter, the 
pareira brava, will be found the most useful. When there is much hem- 
orrhage, or bloody urine, iron alum, or tincture of chloride of iron, will 
be found most valuable astringent tonics. In all severe cases, use the 
catheter twice a day, and carefully empty the bladder. A No. 12, gum 
elastic or silver one, will be found the best and most easily introduced. 
It should contain large eyes, to allow the free escape of mucus and other 
debris, from the base of the bladder. The invalid should be taught how 
to introduce this invaluable instrument, and relieve himself, and so avoid 
the danger of neglecting to use it as often as required. 
Inflammation of the Urethra. 

Irritation, congestion and inflammation of the urethra, often occur in 
persons of a scrofulous, rheumatic or gouty constitution. In scrofulous 
children it is often caused by irritation of the stomach and bowels, or from 
the presence of worms in the intestines. In rheumatic and gouty persons 
it is often caused by the accumulation of acids in the urine, causing me- 
chanical irritation. It is also caused by the irritation produced by stricture, 
or by sexual excesses, &c. Many women in poor health, who are dyspep- 
tic, or who suffer with leucorrhoea, are very liable to inflammation of the 
urethra. This disease has often been mistaken for gonorrhoea, and has 
often created unjust suspicions in domestic life. It may usually be distin- 
guished from this disease by the less intensity of the inflammation, and 
the absence of those secondary symptoms which follow true gonorrhoea. 

The symptoms which indicate inflammation of the urethra, are heat, 
pricking sensations for a few days, followed by a discharge of mucus or 
muco-purulent discharge, with more or less pain and uneasiness in urinating. 
These symptoms last a week or two, and then gradually subside ; but some 
times, in certain constitutions, the disease becomes chronic, and is then 
very troublesome, especially when it is associated with stricture. 

Treatment. Keep the bowels well open, by the use of mild saline ca- 
thartics, freely administered, such as citrate of magnesia, sulphate of mag- 
nesia, or Rochelle salts. In rheumatic and gouty constitutions a few doses 



DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 369 

of colchicum, with liquor potassoe, will hasten the cure. Very weak injec- 
tions of lead water, with belladonna, or lotions of opium will be found very 
useful, more especially in the second stage of the disease, when the inflam- 
matory symptoms have subsided. The diet in all cases must be of the 
blandest and most unirritating character, and stimulants of every descrip- 
tion avoided. 

Weakness op the Urethra. 

Inflammation of the urethra is very apt to be followed by general weak- 
ness and relaxtion of the parts which have been inflamed, causing painful 
dragging down sensations s in the groins, with great weakness and debility 
of the urinary organs, with discharges of viscid prostatic fluid after, or du- 
ring urination, and partial, or total impotency. This affection is of extreme 
frequency among all classes of the community, and causes great mental 
depression and distress, and has not yet received the attention it ought to 
receive on the part of the medical profession. In consequence of ignor- 
ance and general neglect of this unfortunate class of sufferers, on the 
part of the medical profession, they often fall into the hands of pestilent 
quacks, who flourish in our chief cities, and infest almost every town in 
the country, by whom they are not only ruined in health, but impover- 
ished in purse. 

The author does not propose to enter at large into the consideration of 
this subject, at this time or place, as it merits, and demands. At another 
time and in another place, he proposes to speak more at length, in a smaller 
work devoted exclusively to the subject. 

The various forms of debility of these organs, of impotency, urethreorr- 
hooea, spermatorrhoea, or by whatever name this condition may go by, are 
frequently difficult of cure, on account of being so easily influenced by 
moral causes. 

Seminal Vesicles* 

The seminal vesicles are situated in front of the rectum, and are attached 
to the posterior surface of the bladder. They consist of convolated tubes 
coming from the testics, and are about an inch and a half in length, and 
capable of containing from one to two ounces of fluid. The ejaculatory 
ducts extend from the seminal vesicles through the prostate glands, and 
open into the prostate portion of the urethra, as seen in fig. 204, which 
represents the posterior lobe of the prostate gland divided, so as to exhibit 
the course of the ejaculatory ducts. 

Treatment. For the cure of this disease, it will be necessary to dimin- 
ish irritability, and give tone to these organs. The first object is to be 
attained by the application of suitable tonic and astringent washes to the 
lining surface of the uretha, and the second, by the use of astringent ton- 
ics, such as quinine bark, iron and nux vomica, and the daily use of a 



370 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 

cold hip bath, night and morning, remaining in it at first for about three 
minutes, and gradually increasing the time to fifteen or twenty. 

The local irritation and weakness of the prostatic portion of the urethra, 
can only be removed by the application of solutions of nitrate of silver, 
tannin, alum, sulphate of zinc, &c. . It will readily be discovered, that 
there is much tenderness and irritability of these parts, easily ascertained 
in introducing a catheter, causing much pain when this instrument enters 
the bulb of the urethra, with spasmodic contraction of its muscular coats. 
The continuation of this irritation certainly keeps up the excitement, and 
thus maintains the debility and weakness of these organs. This irritabil- 
ity and weakness may most effectively be removed, by the careful injection 
of astringent tonic washes, by means of a suitable syringe, adapted to this 
purpose. Indeed the whole treatment is founded upon that which is now 
pursued, and found the most efficient for the cure of leucorrhasa, or white 
discharges from the vagina of the female, by the most skillful physicians 
in all countries, by the use of astringent tonics internally, and by the in- 
jection of astringent tonic washes. For many years past the author has 
employed an instrument made of hard rubber, such as is seen in the ac- 
companying illustration, with the most satisfactory results. This instru- 

Fig. 218. 



Syringe for injecting fluids into the Urethra, or Bladder, much reduced in size. 

ment, as will be seen, consists of an ordinary syringe of hard rubber, with 
a long curved catheter-shaped pipe attached to it, adapted to the natural 
curve of the urethra. When this instrument is well oiled, it can be intro- 
duced down along the curve of the urethra, with the same facility that an 
ordinary catheter can be in introduced, for the purpose of drawing off the 
water from the bladder. This instrument is of great value in the success- 
ful treatment of many other diseases of the bladder and the urethra, such 
as irritation, inflammation and ulceration of the bladder, gravel, or stone 
in the bladder, inflammation and ulceration of the urethra, &c. Various 
washes may be used for this purpose, according to the nature, extent and 
duration of the disease, and the condition of the general health. When 
the general health is much impaired, with much relaxation and local weak- 
ness of the prostatic portion of the urethra, and debility of the organs of 
urination, a solution of the nitrate of silver, containing from thirty grains 
to one drachm will be found very useful, when carefully applied. Of this 
solution only a few drops should be applied once in ten days, or two weeks. 
Solutions of tannin and glycerin, are also very useful in simple debility, 
with relaxation, containing tannin one drachm, and glycerin one ounce, of 



DISEASES OP THE URINARY ORGANS. 371 

which ten drops may be injected at a time, once or twice a day, according to 
the requirements of each case. In weak, irritable, inflamed and sore throats, 
the same solutions are often applied to the mucous membrane lining the 
throat with great advantage, as is well known. In certain cases, solutions 
of alum, borax and carbolic acid, are found the most successful. 

Having prepared these solutions of the required strength, pour out into 
a small spoon the quantity designed to inject, then dip the point of syringe 
into it, and draw it up. Then oil the long pipe of the syringe with sweet 
oil, and introduce it slowly down into the prostatic portion of the urethra, 
and by pushing down the piston of the syringe, force out the solution 
upon the diseased surface of the mucous membrane, lining this part of 
the urethra. This application causes considerable irritation and smart- 
ing, when it is first applied, and is sometimes followed by considerable 
discharge of mucus, and should not be repeated until this discharge 
subsides. When there is much local inflammation after this application, 
it should be treated by the usual applications, such as a warm hip bath, 
demulcent drinks, such as barley water, flaxseed and slippery elm bark teas, 
and saline cathartics, such as citrate of magnesia, &c. When this treat- 
ment is properly applied, and continued for a sufficient length of time, it 
will nearly always afford relief. 

Stricture of the Urethra. 

There are three varieties of stricture, known as spasmodic stricture, 
congestive stricture, and organic stricture. These different varieties of 
stricture are produced by many different causes. Spasmodic stricture is 
produced by the spasmodic contraction of the muscular fibres of the ure- 
thra, and is only temporary. Congestive stricture is produced by conges- 
tion of the mucous membrane. Organic stricture is produced by the de- 
posit of lymph or plastic matter, in the sub-mucous tissues of the urethra, 
causing thickening and contraction of its cavity. 

Causes of spasmodic stricture. This variety of stricture may occur very 
suddenly, and under favorable circumstances, and with proper treatment, 
it may soon disappear. A person in ordinary health, and passing water 
very freely, may, if he takes such food or drink as will readily ferment in 
his stomach, and give rise to a very acid condition of his urine, if he is 
exposed to cold, suddenly finds himself unable to pass his water, except 
in a small stream, or in small drops, with much straining ; or perhaps 
there may be complete retention. With appropriate treatment, these 
symptoms soon disappear for the time, but return again with the recurrence 
of the same cause. The causes of spasmodic stricture, are such conditions 
as occasion a relaxed and irritable state of the system, long residence in 
hot climates, more especially if conjoined with habitual excesses in drink- 



372 DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 

ing, and venereal excesses. The more immediate causes are exposure to neat 
and cold, by which the action of the skin is suspended, free indulgence 
in spiritous liquors, acid wines, &c. 

Treatment. Inject one drachm of laudanum in a little starch, into the 
rectum, and administer ten grains of Dover's powder. As soon as the 
opium begins to take effect, the urine will begin to flow, when the bowels 
should be thoroughly moved. If the spasm continues for several days, 
a full sized No. 8 or 10 bougie should be introduced every other day, to 
lessen the irritability of the urethra. At the same time, the general health 
should be carefully attended to. the bowels kept open, the diet regulated, and 
all acids, stimulants, and sweets carefully avoided. While the bougie is being 
introduced, take three times a day. twenty drops of liquor potassse, twenty 
drops of tincture of hyosciamus, and twenty drops of sweet spirits of nitre, 
in a little camphor water. 

To prevent any return of these attacks of spasmodic stricture, carefully 
regulate the diet and clothing. Keep the skin warm by the use of flan- 
nels, and stimulate the activity of its functions with tepid baths, friction, &c. 

Congestive Stricture. 

This variety of stricture is very often produced by long continued chro- 
nic inflammation of the urethra, or by the passage of urine rendered ir- 
ritating by the presence of lithates, and other impurities. It is very com- 
mon in those who are subject to gout, rheumatism. &c, who suffer with 
irritability of the skin, or the mucous membranes. In these cases, there 
is no permanent obstruction, but the disease is transitory, and due to the 
congested and swollen state of the mucous membrane lining the urethra. 

Treatment. In these cases the diet must be carefully restricted to the 
use of bland, light and digestible food, and abstain from the use of all 
stimulants. The same remedy mentioned as useful in spasmodic stricture, 
may be administered here with advantage, in combination with small doses 
of copaiba, with warm hip baths, &c. In congestive strictures the bougie 
should be occasionally introduced to prevent permanent contraction. 

Organic Stricture. 

Permanent contraction of the urethral canal is usually the result of 
long continued inflammation, caused by some injury to the urethra from a 
blow upon the perineum, or repeated and long continued gleets, &c. In 
this disease plastic matter is poured out in and around the mucous membrane, 
followed by consolidation and contraction. It is often noticed that long con- 
tinued inflammation is more apt to produce organic stricture, than its in- 
tensity. Hence it is of great importance not to allow gleets to continue 
indefinitely, as they will be sure to be followed by stricture of some por- 



DISEASES OP THE URINARY ORGANS. 373 

tion of the urethra. Organic stricture may be seated anywhere anterior 
to the prostate gland, and may effect any portion of it but the prostatic 
portion. 

Symptoms of organic stricture. The existence of stricture is capa- 
ble of producing much constitutional irritation. It interferes with the free 
flow of urine, and causes irritation of the bladder, kidneys, &c, and in 
consequence of this, the functions of the skin, and other secreting organs 
are deranged, and the whole system suffers. At first only a few drops of 
urine are retained in the bladder after urination, the desire to urinate is 
increased, particularly at night, with straining, and a feeling of weakness 
about the urethra. The ex- Fig. 219. 

istence of organic stricture 
can only be determined with 
certainty, by the introduc- 
tion of an instrument down 
the urethra, as seen in the 
accompanying illustration, 
until it meets the obstruc- 
tion. For this purpose, a No. 
8 or 10 silver catheter should 
be used, and it should be 
well oiled and warmed before 
its introduction. When the 
existence of stricture has 
been detected, then instru- 
ments of smaller size may be 
used, in order to« ascertain the degree of contraction. 

Treatment of organic stricture. There are three methods of curing this 
variety of stricture, first, by mechanical dilation; second, by the use of 
caustics, and third, by the division of the contraction. Stricture is one 
q/ the most serious diseases the human body is liable to, and will inevita- 
bly, if left to its own course, terminate fatally by induction of disease 
of the kidneys. Early and energetic treatment is of great importance, and 
when well conducted, there is scarcely any affection in which the surgeon 
can afford his patient greater relief. 




Stricture of the TTretha, and its dilation with a bogie. 



374 



CONSTITUTION OP WOMAN. 



LECTURE XXXIII. 

CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 
Fig. 220. 




Male. 



Female. 



When we compare the male and female organization with each other, 
we shall notice that, though there is a general resemblance between the 



CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 



375 



two sexes, yet there are certain striking differences, which are not peculiar 
to one, but to all parts of the body. 

The bones of the female are not only smaller than those of the male, 
but they are much finer, and more dense in their texture. The muscles 
which are appended to the bones of the female, are not only lighter colored, 
but they are also more delicate in their texture, more graceful in their out- 
line, and more beautiful in their expression, than those of the male. 

There is also a great difference in the length and in the diameter of the 
bodies of the two sexes. The female body is not only shorter than that 
of the male, but it is also much wider through the pelvis, or hips, while 
the male body is much the widest through the chest or shoulders. The 
shoulders of the male are broad, square, angular and strong, while those 
of the female are sloping, graceful and beautiful- — " the one for strength, 
and the other for grace and beauty I" 

The head and face of the female is longer, narrower, and much more 
nearly oval, than that of the male, which is much shorter, and rounder, 
and is covered with beard. The larynx, or organ of the voice, in the female 
is much smaller and less prominent than that of the male, giving to woman 
a fine tenor, or delicate treble voice, and to man a deep bass. 

The great breadth of the female pelvis has its advantages, and its dis- 
advantages. So far as the life, health, employments, and happiness of 

Fig. 221. 




Female Pelvis. A, Broad Arch ; B, Cup-like Cavities to receive the bones of the legs. 

women may be concerned. The bones of the female pelvis being much 
broader than those of the male, the deep cup-like cavities which receive 
the heads of the lower extremities, are much wider apart, rendering it far 



376 



CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 



more painful, laborious and difficult for women to stand and walk, or en- 
gage in standing employments, than for men. 

Fig. 222. 




Male Pelvis. A, Narrow Arch ; B, Cup-like Cavities to receive the bones of the legs. 

Owing to this peculiar anatomical conformation of the hips or pelvis, 
when the female walks or runs, her progress is much impeded, by the dif- 
ficulty which she experiences in maintaining the centre of gravitation. As 
she steps alternately first upon one foot, and then upon the other, her body 
is made to oscillate from side to side, much impeding the rapidity of her 
progress. It is not difficult to demonstrate from the anatomy of the fe- 
male organization, that sedentary employments are best adapted to her 
nature, and standing employments best suited to the male. It is far more 
labor, and is attended with far more exhaustion, for a woman to walk a 
mile, or stand upon her feet at any kind of work for an hour, than it is 
for a man ; and yet it is not to be inferred from this, that a reasonable 
amount of standing and walking, is not beneficial for the preservation of 
the health of Woman. 

The great advantage of this extraordinary breadth of the female pelvis, 
is in the formation of a very large basin inside of it, for the reception of 
those organs which are peculiar to the female, and for the reception of 
which there would not be sufficient room in the male pelvis. 

The narrow cavity of the male pelvis, contains only the rectum, or low- 
er bowel, and the bladder in front of it. While the broad basin of the 
female pelvis contains the rectum, situated in front of the lower end of the 
spine, or back bone, and the uterus, or womb and vagina, in front of it, 






CONSTITUTION OP WOMAN. 377 

and the bladder is situated in front of the womb, and behind the arch of 
the pelvis in front. 

The position of these organs and their appendages, with their proper 
relations to each other, are well illustrated below. 

Fig. 223. 




The Basin, or Cavity of the Female Pelvis, containing the Bladder, Womb, Rectum and their ap- 
pendages, situated in their proper places. 

A, A, Edges of the Hip Bones; B, the Bladder; U, the Uterus, or Womb; L, Round Ligaments 
of the Womb ; T, Fallopian Tubes of the Womb ; F, Fembriated Extremities of the Fallopian Tubes ; 
0, Ovaries ; R, Rectum ; V, Bones of the Spine. 

a, a, Obliterated Hypogastric Arteries; b, Broad Ligaments of the Womb ; e, Posterior Ligaments ; 
g, Ureter; h, Ovarian Arteries ; to, Linea alba and Urachus. 

It will be seen that the rectum, the womb, and the bladder, fill the cav- 
ity of the pelvis, and form a floor, which supports the organs of the cavity 
of the abdomen, the stomach, liver, and the intestinal canal. On each side 
of the womb, will be seen firm bands, or ligaments, which fasten these 
organs to the inside of the bones of the hips, and serve to hold them up, 
and keep them in their proper places. There are two round cords which 
come off from each side of the womb, and wind around the bladder, and 
firmly attach themselves to the bones in front. These ligaments are about 
the size of pipe stems, and are called the round ligaments. There are 
also two broad, fan shaped ligaments, given off from each side of the womb, 
which are seen to attach themselves to the inside of the hips, or basin of 
the pelvis, called the broad ligaments. The posterior ligaments are also 
given off from each side of the womb, and are firmly attached to the in- 
side of the posterior part of the basin of the pelvis. When these liga- 
ments become weak and relaxed, the womb may be displaced downwards, 
forwards, or backwards, or turned to the right or left. 



378 CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 

Displacement of the womb, or falling of the womb, as it is called more 
familiarly, is one of the most common of all of the diseases which are pe- 
culiar to women. Indeed there are comparatively few women in this coun- 
try, between the ages of fifteen and fifty, who do not suffer more or less, 
as can be easily demonstrated from any number of cases, and for reasons 
which will soon be explained. 

Anatomy op the Womb. 
The womb is pyriform in shape, with its largest end upwards, and its 
smallest end downwards. It is divided into the fundus or largest end, the 
body, the neck, and the mouth. It measures about two and a half inches 
in length, and an inch and a half in width, and weighs from eight to ten 
drachms at the first menstrual period, and from two to three ounces, after 
the female has borne several children. 




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CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 379 

In the preceding illustration, it is seen just half the size of life, and it 
will be noticed that it is much smaller than it is generally thought to be, 
by those who do not study and understand something of their own nature. 
In fact, the womb is so small, and weighs so little, that when it is removed 
from the body, it can easily be suspended by a single hair. 

Causes of Prolapsus. 

It has been shown that the womb, at puberty, weighs only eight or 
ten drachms, and in women who have borne several children, only two 
ounces and a half, and that it can be suspended upon a single hair. It is 
very evident then, that if the womb is so small an organ, or weighs so 
little, that it will not u fall down," out of its position, by its own weight, 
as has so long been supposed, by ignorant, credulous, and superstitious 
persons, particularly since we have seen how perfectly it is supported and 
held up in its place by numerous strong bands or ligaments, as seen in 
fig. 223. 

The causes of prolapsus or displacement of the womb, may be divided 
into those which predispose, or render persons more liable to be afflicted 
with this disease, and those which excite, or directly produce it. Among 
the most prominent predisposing causes, we may mention weakness and 
relaxation of the vaginal canal, and the broad and round ligaments, which 
support and keep the womb in its place. 

The smallest end, or neck of the womb comes down into the vaginal canal, 
much in the same way a cork comes down into the mouth and neck of a bottle 
see fig. 225. If we could dilate the cavity of the mouth and neck of a bot- 
tle sufficiently, then of course the cork would fall down through the mouth 
and neck into the cavity of the bottle below. Fig. 225 exhibits a section 
of the cavity of the pelvis and abdomen, of a well formed woman, contain- 
ing all of the organs of the pelvis and abdomen, in their proper places. 

Besides the round and broad ligaments, the womb is also supported by 
the vaginal canal, much in the same way that the mouth and neck of a 
bottle support the cork, which closes it. When the round and broad liga- 
ments, and the vaginal canal become weakened and relaxed, any woman is 
predisposed, or rendered far more liable to suffer with prolapsus, or dis- 
placement of the womb. 

All women with pale skin, cold extremities, and soft flabby, relaxed and 
feeble muscles, are strongly predisposed to this disease. Still it is possible 
for all such women, by great care and prudence, to avoid its production all 
through life. It will be seen by reference to fig. 225, that the organs of 
digestion situated in the cavity of the abdomen, rest upon and are in part 
supported by the bladder and womb, which form a sort of elastic floor be- 
neath them. Now it will be easily understood that if the stomach, liver 



380 



CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 



Fig. 225. 




A Section of the Cavity of the Abdomen and Pelvis 
of a well formed Woman, exhibiting all of the Organs 
in their proper places. 1, a Section of the Rectum, or 
Lower Bowel ; 2, a Section of the Womb ; 3, a Section 
of the Bladder; 4, a Section of the Vagina. 



and intestinal canal are forced 
downwards against the bladder 
and womb, situated beneatli them, 
by any misapplication of the 
dress, more especially in that class 
of comparatively weak and feeble 
women who are unable to endure 
it, then the weight and pressure 
of the intestinal canal from above, 
will force the womb out of its 
place. "When the vaginal canal is 
much weakened and relaxed, as 
it often is, in many women who 
have borne numerous children, 
very rapidly, then it will force the 
womb directly downwards, pro- 
ducing what is called 'procidentia. 
The extent of this displacement 
will depend upon the degree of 
relaxation of the ligaments of the 
womb and vaginal canal, and the 
amount of weight and pressure 
upon the womb. Sometimes the 
womb is only slightly displaced, 
falling only a short distance down 
into the relaxed vaginal canal,with 
its mouth and neck resting against 
the lower bowel, or rectum. In 
other instances it falls down 
through the vaginal canal, and 
often appears externally. 

When the womb is only mod- 
erately displaced, with its mouth 
and neck pressing against the 
rectum and lower portion of the 
spine, the pressure and friction 
of the mouth and neck of this 
delicate and sensitive organ will 
soon cause irritation of the mouth 
and neck of the womb, followed 
by neuralgic pains through the 
lower portion of the spine, hips 



CONSTITUTION OP WOMAN. 



381 



and pelvis, with discharges of mu- 
cus, &c. 

Symptoms of procidentia. When 
the womb falls down into the vagi- 
nal canal, it will cause a pulling or 
dragging down sensation inside of 
the hips, which is much increased 
on standing and walking. These 
disagreeable feelings are produced 
by the tension of the round and 
broad ligaments attached to each 
side of the womb. The extent of 
these disagreeable sensations, will be 
in proportion to the extent of the 
prolapsus. "When the womb is only 
slightly displaced, there will be but 
little tension, or pulling down upon 
these ligaments, but in bad cases, 
when the womb falls entirely down 
through the vaginal canal, the pain 
and bearing down sensations are so 
urgent as to compel many women, 
who suffer with this disease, to lay 
down to remove the weight and 
pressure of the digestive organs 
from the bladder and womb. Many 
women having discovered that the 
recumbent position affords them al- 
most entire relief, from their most 



Fig. 226. 



painful and disagreeable feelings, 
frequently resort to the lounge for 
relief, and finally become " bed rid- 
den" as they find ^it the only com- 
fortable position. 

Treatment of procidentia. For 
the cure of this variety of prolap- 
sus, we must first remove all weight 
and pressure caused by the organs 
of digestion upon the upper extrem- 
ities of the womb and bladder. Sec- 
ond, we must contract and strengthen 
the relaxed and weakened ligaments der • *» ft s « ction of the v»gina 
25 




Procidentia. A Section of the Abdomen and 
Pelvis of a Woman, showing the Bowels, Womb 
and Bladder displaced. 1, a Section of the Rectum ; 
2, a Section of the Womb ; 3, a Section of the Blad- 



382 CONSTITUTION OP WOMAN. 

of the womb and the vagina. It is totally useless to undertake to cuse this 
disease, without removing the causes which produce it. There is no com- 
promise between health and fashion ! Any earnest and honest woman, 
who really wants to get well ; one who has suffered long enough, and is 
heartily sick of fashionable quackery, and who is prepared to obey the 
laws of health, as revealed to her in the study of her own nature, will have 
but little difficulty in curing herself, if she will only go to work in the right 
way. In the first place, she must shorten the waist of her dress, so that 
the belt which fastens the skirt to the waist of all her dresses, shall be ap- 
plied around her body, not more than three inches below her breasts. In 
the second place, she must make for herself an under vest, made full, and 
cut low in the neck, and buttoning up in front like a vest, as worn by men, 
(see fig. 101,) with a number of pearl buttons fastened to the binding for 
the attachment of the skirts. The binding of each skirt must have cor- 
responding button-holes to fit. When the dress is adjusted to the female 
form in this way, all the weight of the underclothing will be removed from 
the liver, stomach, and the intestinal canal, and suspended upon the shoul- 
ders, which were designed by the Creator for that purpose. When the 
clothing is applied in this way, it may be worn perfectly loose, so that there 
is the utmost freedom of the movement of the trunk and extremities of 
the body ; and it is not only loose and perfectly easy when first put on, but 
it remains loose all day, and does not drag down by its own weight, so that 
long before night the binding of the skirts becomes as tight as the strings 
of a harp ! When we remonstrate with women who wear long-waisted 
dresses, and fasten their skirts around their waists, and allow them to drag 
down the liver, stomach, and bowels, against the womb, with their whole 
weight, and producing displacement of the womb, dragging down sensa- 
tions, sideache, backache, &c, we are often told that they " never dress 
tightly," &c. Now this may all be perfectly true, that the clothing, when 
first applied was loose, but when it is pinned on, or fastened around the 
waist with tape strings, it will not stay loose, it will soon drag down, and 
become tight as its own weight can make it, causing constipation, dyspepsia, 
flatulency, nervous debility, prolapsus, congestion, inflammation, ulceration 
of the womb, &c. If we tie a thread moderately tight around one of our- 
fingers, it will arrest the return of the blood to the heart, and the finger 
will soon swell, and become congested, and then inflamed ; and so of the 
womb, when the dress fits only moderately tight around the waist, com- 
pressing the great blood-vessels in the cavity of the abdomen, which are ex- 
ceedingly elastic, and so prevent the return of the blood from the womb, 
causing uterine congestion, and its terrible consequences. In fact, there is 
no language that is adequate to describe the amount of wretchedness, and 
misery produced among women from this cause. 



Fig. 227. 



CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 

As ^oon as the dress lias been properly adjusted, and all weight and 
pressure has been removed from the womb, it may easily be raised up to 
its proper place, and the relaxed and weakened ligaments, and vagina, may 
be contracted and strengthened by suitable treatment. To induce mus- 
cular contractilty, no remedies have yet been found superior to preparations 
of iron-alum, and nux vomica. 

When prolapsus or displacement of the womb is associated with indi- 
gestion, the diet should be properly regulated, and some good astringent 
tonic, such as the following administered : ammonio-ferric alum, one ounce, 
simple syrup one pint. Mix, and add quinine one drachm, strychnine 
three grains, citric acid a sufficient quantity to make a perfect solution. 
Take a teaspoonful three times a day. 

To raise the prolapsed womb, and contract the relaxed 
and weakened broad and round ligaments, and vaginal 
canal, a good vaginal syringe is indispensable. The 
old fashioned instruments made of glass or lead, or the 
more recent inventions, with small lead pipes, that work 
with an elastic bulb, like a force pump, the valves of 
which are continually getting out of order, are utterly 
useless, so far as the successful treatment of this disease 
may be concerned. They do not retain the washes 
which are used long enough for them to do much good. 
The vaginal syringe used by the author is seen in fig. 
227. It is made of hard rubber, which is not injured 
or corroded by nitrate of silver, like lead, &c. Nor is it 
easily broken, like glass. It is provided with a shield, 
which serves to retain the astringent and other washes 
used, in contact with the relaxed and weakened walls 
of the vagina, to contract and strengthen them, and to 
effect a permanent cure. Various astringent washes 
may be used for this purpose, such as common green 
tea, three times a day. It is well known, that when drank as a beverage, 
it will induce most obstinate constipation, and when injected as a wash, 
it will cause contraction of the relaxed and weakened walls of the vagina. 
Oak bark tea is also useful for the same purpose. Tannin, alum, sugar of 
lead water, &c, are also useful. In ordinary cases with moderate prolap- 
sus, one drachm of tannin, alum, or sugar of lead, may be dissolved in a 
teacupful of warm water, to which is added a teaspoonful of laudanum, 
and a syringeful injected into the vagina, while the person is laying down 
with the hips well elevated, and the injection retained from ten to twenty 
minutes, by the shield of the syringe. It is always best to remain in this 
position for half an hour after using an astringent' injection, to afford 




Vaginal Syringe, with 
a Shield to retain all 
washes, and other ap- 
plications, in the Vagi- 
na, sufficiently long to 
effect a cure. 



384 CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 

sufficient time for the parts to contract, especially when used in the 
morning. 

In bad cases of procidentia, when the womb is completely prolapsed, 
and it protrudes from the body, more powerful astringents will be re- 
quired, such as the per salts of iron, &c. From one to two drachms of 
Mounsell's solution of per sulpate of iron in one pint of water, with a tea- 
spoonful of laudanum, answers an admirable purpose. A syringeful of 
this solution should be injected while in the recumbent position, with the 
hips well elevated, the syringe being used as a womb elevator, to raise the 
womb up to its proper place, by pushing gently against it with the smooth 
blunt end of this instrument for this purpose. Retain this powerful astrin- 
gent wash ten to twenty minutes with the shield of the syringe, and after 
its removal remain in the recumbent position for an hour, to afford time for 
the relaxed and weakened ligaments and walls of the vaginal canal to con- 
tract, so that they will retain these organs in their proper places. 

The author totally condemns the use of all sorts of instruments called pes- 
saries and supporters, as nothing but unmitigated nuisances, which only serve 
to prevent those who suffer with this disease from using the proper means 
of getting well. In his opinion the whole theory upon which they are 
constructed, as well as their practical application, is at war with reason, com- 
mon sense, and sound hygiene. In the first place, all remedies designed to 
cure any disease, should remove the causes producing it, or it will not stay 
cured, since it is evident that the same causes will produce the same effects 
all through the whole course of life. It has been shown, that prolapsus, 
or displacement of the womb, is produced by bad physiological habits, at 
war with health, causing great relaxation of the ligaments of the womb, 
and the walls of the vagina. To cure this disease, these causes must be 
removed, as already pointed out. All mechanical appliances placed inside 
the cavity of the vagina, will prevent its contraction, and in that respect 
are a nuisance. They also act as foreign bodies often causing irritation, 
inflammation and ulceration. 

The author has repeatedly removed patent stem pessaries and other ap- 
pliances worn in the vagina, for various periods, with the most abundant 
evidence of the truth of what he now asserts. But above all he objects 
to their use inasmuch as they serve to impose upon the physiological ignor- 
ance, credulity and superstition of those who are most interested in this 
matter, and so prevent them from studying and understanding their own 
organization, and its wants. Wearing long-waisted dresses, with skirts 
fastened around the waist, weighing several pounds, constantly dragging 
down the liver, stomach and intestinal canal against the womb and bladder, 
until they give way and are displaced, then trying to prop them up by the 
introduction of such absurd and ridiculous contrivances, as modern pes- 



CONSTITUTION OP WOMAN. 



385 



Fig. 228. 



saries, does not harmonize with the doctrines of modern physiology, or the 
laws of correct hygiene. 

No pessarie has ever yet been invented, which is capable of raising up 
and sustaining the organs of digestion in their proper places, especially 
when they are crowded down by a long-waisted dress, quilted full of whale 
bones, to keep it in place, and make it more effectively do its ruinous work. 

When the under-clothing is fas- 
tened around the waist at A, A, 
as seen in the accompanying illus- 
tration, it will soon drag down by 
its own weight to A, B, when it 
becomes so tight, that it can drag 
down no further, and is here vir- 
tually suspended upon the womb 
and bladder, causing the most an- 
noying pains and dragging down 
sensations and feelings in the side, 
and through the lower part of the 
abdomen, hips, &c, which are 
greatly increased on standing and 
walking about. 

Again, pessaries cannot contract 
the relaxed and weakened liga- 
ments of the womb. It is said by 
their advocates, that they rest these 
ligaments, and allow them to con- 
tract themselves, but absolute rest 
does not strengthen any organ of 

the body. Action alternate With Section of the Abdomen and Pelvis, with all of 

.,, . . ,, the Internal Organs in their right places. A, A, 

rest, Will SOOn invigorate all parts 8howswhere the Skirts are firstapplied in the morn- 

of the System. Fold the Strongest ing ; A, B, their position at night, crowding down 

man's arm over his breast, and fas- u the Womb ' and B « the Bladden 
ten it in this position for a few months, and allow it to rest all of the time, 
and it will become so weak from disuse as to become powerless. And so of 
the ligaments of the womb, they must be exercised in order to strengthen 
them. But again, pessaries do not contract the weakened and relaxed va- 
ginal canal, but their presence in its cavity will act as a foreign body, and 
bo prevent its contraction. Bougies, catheters, probangs, &c, are often 
used to dilate the urethra, the oesophagus, womb, vagina, &c. When a 
pessarie is introduced into the cavity of the weakened and relaxed vagina, 
to raise up and support the displaced womb, it can only be retained in its 
place by still further distending the relaxed walls of the vagina. In fact 




386 CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 

when any one has worn a pessarie for a short time, it will so dilate the 
already enlarged cavity of the vaginal canal, as to create the necessity of 
exchanging it for a still larger one, in order to retain it in its proper place. 
Fig. 229. Thus it will be seen, that all such 

mechanical contrivances do not cure 
prolapsus, but that they absolutely pre- 
vent any one from getting well, and for 
this reason, should be condemned by 
every woman as nuisances I For more 
than ten years past, the author has cast 
them aside, as not only worthless for 
the purpose of curing prolapsus, but 
as absolutely preventing recovery by the 
use of other and more appropriate 
means of cure, founded upon a more 
correct knowledge of the causes of this 
disease, and its proper treatment ! 

ANTEVERSION OP THE WOMB. 

In many instances, more especially 
among young women, when the vaginal 
canal is not relaxed, and its cavity dis- 
tended by giving birth to numerous 
children, or by weakening and exhaust- 
ing discharges from the vaginal canal, 
leucorrhoea, &c, the womb instead of 
descending into or through the vagina, 
may be turned over in front against the 
bladder, producing anteversion, as seen 
in the accompanying illustration. "When 
the womb is displaced in this way, the 
symptoms, or disagreeable sensations 
which it will produce, are totally differ- 
ent from those caused by procidentia, as 
detailed in another place. In conse- 
quence of the pressure of the womb 
against the bladder in front of this or- 
gan, it is greatly reduced in size, and 
% its neck is often prolapsed, forming a 

JLnteversion. A Section of the Abdomen jx -\ .- > ,i ,1 n ,1 

and Pelvis, exhibiting 1. a Section of the Soft elastic tumor in the mOUth of the 

Eectum ; 2, the Womb turned over against vagina, that may often be mistaken for 

^Bladder; 3, and forcing it down into the the wombj or &r a polymigj or other 




CONSTITUTION OP WOMAN. 387 

tumors, resting in the vaginal canal. The bladder being much reduced 
in size, can retain only a small quantity of urine at a time, creating a de- 
sire to frequenly urinate, with constant uneasy feelings, or bearing down 
sensations in the lower portion of the abdomen, and through the region 
of the bladder. These feelings will be greatly increased by lifting, stand- 
ing, and walking about, &c. Anteversion is by far the most frequent of 
all forms of displacement of the womb. When any woman stands erect, 
and the organs of the pelvis are all in their proper places, the womb is in- 
clined a little forward against the bladder, and any force acting upon it 
from, above, will be more likely to turn it still further forward against 
the bladder, than in any other direction. 

Treatment of anteversion of the womb. This form of displacement is 
always produced by pressure from above, acting upon the womb beneath, 
and forcing it over in front, against the bladder. Now it is very evident 
that it will be utterly impossible for any pessarie, or other instrument in- 
troduced into the vagina, to raise the womb up off the bladder, and retain 
it in its proper position. This can only be accomplished, by first remov- 
ing all pressure from above, by shortening the waist of the dress, so that 
the belt does not come down more than three inches below the breasts, re- 
moving all whalebone, abandoning the corset, and adjusting the skirts to a 
well fitting undervest. When all weight and pressure from above, have 
been removed from the womb, as directed, then the weakened and relaxed 
ligaments of this organ, may be induced to contract, by the judicious use 
of cold hip baths and astringent injections, friction over the lower portion 
of the abdomen, inside of the hips, with a coarse towel, night and morn- 
ing, in a reclining position, and the use of astringent tonics internally, 
such as iron, quinine, nux vomica, &c. 

Eetrovesion of the Womb. 
When great pressure and weight are applied to the fundus of the womb 
from above, it will sometimes turn over backwards against the rectum, or 
lower bowel, instead of forwards against the bladder, producing what is- 
called retroversion of the womb, as seen in the following illustration. 
When the womb turns over backwards in this way, it will cause another 
train of symptoms, or disagreeable sensations totally different from those 1 
already described, as peculiar to other forms of displacement. In conse- 
quence of the weight and pressure of the womb against the rectum, it 
causes a bearing down sensation, as if there was something in the bowels 
which must be discharged, to afford relief. This bearing down feeling 
with a desire to have a movement of the bowels, is often accompanied with 
heat, and slight burning sensations through the lower portions of the ab- 
domen and hips, caused by irritation of the womb, vagina and rectum. 



388 



CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 



Retroversion is by far the most uncom- 
mon of all the varieties of displacement 
of the womb, and it can only be pro- 
duced by the wicked and reckless abuse 
of the female organization, by the mis- 
application of dress. A very large 
amount of force, must be applied from 
above to the fundus of the womb, to 
produce anteversion, or retroversion. 
These diseases are not produced, as 
many ignorant persons unhappily sup- 
pose, by "lifting" some trifling object, 
" carrying a bucket of water," or walk- 
ing " up stairs" as the author has often 
been assured by its unhappy victims, 
but by causes already fully explained, 
and thoroughly illustrated, so that the 
most incredulous can fully understand 
them, and know what they must do to 
prevent, and cure these diseases ! 

Treatment of retroversion of the 
womb. For the cure of retroversion 
of the womb, it will be necessary to 
remove the causes which produced it. 
The author has no sympathy with that 
class of medical charlatans, who either 
do not understand the nature and causes 
of these displacements of the womb, or 
who are too timid and time serving to 
point them out clearly, So that they can 
be clearly understood by the numerous 
victims of these diseases, who are com- 
pelled to suffer, often ignorantly, the con- 
consequences of their own indiscretion. 
The first thing to be accomplished in 
the treatment of all of these diseases, 
is to totally revolutionize the fashion- 
able habits of dress, and having read- 
justed the clothing upon sound hygienic 
and physiological principles, then various local means may be resorted to 
for the purpose of raising up the womb to its proper position in the cavity 
of the pelvis, such as cold hip baths, astringent injections, and friction of 




Retroversion. A Section of the Abdomen 
and Pelvis, exhibiting 1, the Rectum ; 2, the 
Womb, turned over back against the Rec- 
tum ; 3, the Bladder ; 4, Vagina. 



CONSTITUTION OF WOMAN. 389 

the abdomen while in the recumbent position, with the hips well elevated, 
and with the face downwards. This position is often indispensable to re- 
lease the fundus of the womb from beneath the promontory of the sacrum, 
or lower portion of the spine, which projects so far forward into the cavity 
of the pelvis, as to often interfere with the return of the womb to its pro- 
per position. 

These organs are also subject to other displacements, such as prolapsus 
of the vagina, prolapsus of the bladder, prolapsus of the rectum, inver- 
sion of the womb, flexion of the womb, obliquity of the womb, &c, pro- 
duced by similar causes to those already detailed in their proper places. 
It is sad to think, what a miserable wreck, the fairest and most beautiful 
organization, of woman, may be made, by the wicked disobedience of the 
laws of health, strength, grace, beauty and long life. 



390 DISEASES OP WOMEN. 



LECTURE XXXIY. 

DISEASES OF WOMEN. 

Vaginal Canal. 

The vaginal canal and cavity of the womb, are lined with a delicate, pale 
pink colored mucous membrane, like that which lines the nose, throat, 
lungs and intestinal canal. The mucous membrane lining all of these in- 
ternal organs, contains numerous minute thimble shaped follicles, which 
secrete a thin white starchy fluid, called mucus, for the purpose of lubri- 
cating its internal surface, and preventing irritation and inflammation. 
The mucous membranes lining the internal organs of the body, are far more 
extensive, than they are generally thought to be, by those who do not study 
and understand the mysteries of their own organization. The mucous 
membrane lining the intestinal canal is estimated to be more than seven 
times as extensive, and the mucous membrane lining the air-tube and lungs, 
is more than forty times as extensive as the skin which covers the outside 
surface of the body. Now all of these delicate sensitive mucous membranes 
lining the nose, throat, intestinal canal, air-tube, lungs, bladder, urinary 
passages, vagina, womb, &c, sympathise very intimately with each other, 
in health and disease. When the mucous membrane lining one of these 
organs of the body, becomes irritated, inflamed, or ulcerated, the disease 
is very apt to extend itself, by sympathy, to other organs of the body, until 
all of the mucous membranes become involved in the disease. 

For instance, when the mucous membrane lining the stomach and intes- 
tinal canal becomes irritated, inflamed, or diseased, causing indigestion, or 
dyspepsia, and it is neglected, or improperly treated, it is apt to extend 
itself by sympathy to the lining surface of the nose and throat, causing 
catarrh, or rhinorrhoea, with a profuse discharge of white, green, or yellow 
matter. It may also extend itself by sympathy to the mucous membrane 
lining the larynx, wind pipe, or bronchial tubes, causing irritation, or in- 
flammation, hoarseness and cough, with a profuse discharge of white, yel- 
low, or greenish matter, when the disease is called bronchitis, or bronchor- 
rhoea. It may also extend itself to the bladder and urinary passages, caus- 
ing irritation, or inflammation, followed by discharges of white, starchy 
matter, mixed with the urine, when the disease is called cystorrhoea. It 
may also extend itself to the lining surface of the vaginal canal and womb, 
causing a profuse discharge of white, yellow, or greenish matter, called 
leucorrhoea, or "fluor albus," &c. 

When these discharges from an irritated, or inflamed mucous membrane 



DISEASES OP WOMEN. 391 

are carefully examined by the chemists, they are all found to be identical, 
and to contain a large proportion of albumen, one of the most important 
nutritive elements of the blood. When these catarrhal discharges from 
any of the mucous membranes lining the nose, throat, stomach, intestinal 
canal, lungs, bladder, vagina, or womb, are very profuse, and exist for any 
great length of time, they will drain a large amount of albumen from the 
blood, and cause great debility and weakness of all of the organs of the 
body. The skin becomes cold, clammy, and pale, the extremities cold, 
the blood thin and impoverished, the pulse feeble, with shortness of breath, 
palpitation of the heart, nervous debility, hysteria, spinal neuralgia, &c. 

Leucorrhcea. 

This is by far the most common of all diseases among women, and is of- 
ten called " female weakness" from the fact that it causes so much weak- 
ness and exhaustion among women. In fact there are few women between 
the ages of fifteen and forty-five, who do not suffer, more or less, with this 
exhausting disease. It drains the albumen from the blood, causing prema- 
ture decay, and old age. There are more women in this country, with pale, 
sallow skins, and cold extremities, with care-worn and exhausted expres- 
sions ; more who look old long before their time, from this terrible drain- 
age, than all other causes combined. Under the blighting and withering 
influence of this exhausting discharge, the countenance loses its animated 
expression, and the face soon becomes as pale, blank and expressionless, as 
the cold and silent marble. No disease is more fatal to female health, 
strength, grace, beauty and long life. 

Causes of Leucorrhgea. 

The predisposing cause of this disease has already been mentioned in 
what has been said in reference to diseases of all the mucous membranes. 
It is almost always associated with irritation or inflammation of the mu- 
cous membrane lining the intestinal canal, or catarrhal dyspepsia. It is 
always increased or made worse, by exposure to heats and colds, over ex- 
ercise while standing, walking, &c. 

The clothing worn by most women in this country is utterly inadequate to 
protect the body from the injurious influences of cold, and this is no doubt 
one of the principal reasons why so many women suffer with this exhaust- 
ing disease. It is often said by strong, healthy men, that women are the 
" weaker vessels," and that they cannot endure what men can, &c. Such 
talk is the merest nonsense. Women are far stronger than most men, and 
can and do endure twice as much ! Just look at the men who talk about 
the delicacy and feebleness of women ! Most of them wear four times 
as much clothing — thick warm under-garments, thick stout boots, fur hats 
or caps, pilot cloth over-coats, &c, in the Winter time. Weigh the clothing 



392 DISEASES OF WOMEN. 

worn by the two sexes in Winter, and yon will no longer be surprised that 
such a large proportion of women suffer with catarrhal diseases. Suppose 
you dress one of these stronger vessels, one of these healthy, robust, and 
vigorous men. in the same way that pale and delicate women dress them- 
selves in mid Winter, and see what will become of him. Let him put on 
thin cotton under-clothing, and thin cotton stockings, and thin cotton or 
woolen pants, and a thin shawl over his shoulders, with thin paper-soled 
slippers, or cloth gaiters, on his feet, and a little bit of a straw hat on the 
back of his head, and then turn him out in the cold ! Why, even the 
boys in the streets would run after such a man, and call him crazy ! So 
man could or would live through a single Winter, dressed in this way. 
When women persist in trying to do so, is it any wonder that they suffer 
with colds and catarrhs, that cause so much weakness and exhaustion, and 
so much premature decay and old age ! 

Cure of Leucorrhcea. 
For the cure of this weakening and exhausting disease, we must first 
attend to the skin and extremities of the body. It will be useless to 
attempt to permanently cure this complaint without protecting the skin 
and extremities with thick warm clothing. The moment the skin or ex- 
tremities become chilled, the leucorrhoeal discharge will be increased ; and 
even if once the disease was cured, it would soon return again ! As al- 
ready explained, there is an intimate sympathy between the mucous mem- 
brane lining the vagina and womb, and the lining surface of the digestive 
canal. For this reason, to cure leucorrhcea the diet should be light and 
nutritious, and the organs of digestion strengthened and invigorated, by 
the use of some good astringent tonic, such as iron-alum, or muriated 
tincture of iron, with quinine and nux vomica. Cold salt hip baths should 
be taken night and morning, remaining in the bath at first only a minute 
or two. and gradually increasing the time to ten or fifteen minutes. As- 
tringent washes should be injected into the cavity of the vagina, when the 
discharges are profuse, such as tannin, alum, sugar of lead, borax. &c 
One or two drachms of either of these astringents may be dissolved in a 
cup of warm water, and a syringeful injected three times a day. with a 
good vaginal syringe, having a shield attached to it. that will retain it for 
five or ten minutes, or until the astringent wash has time enough to act 
upon the diseased mucous membrane lining the vaginal canal, and covering 
the mouth and neck of the womb, to arrest the profuse white discharges, 
&q. Most syringes sold in the drug stores are utterly useless for this pur- 
pose. Without a shield, they allow the wash to escape while using it. so 
that it is wasted, without doing any good. There is no economy in trying 
to cure this most annoying and injurious disease, with a poor syringe, par- 






DISEASES OF WOMEN. 393 

ticularly when a good one costs no more than a poor one. A proper instru- 
ment for this purpose will be found on another page, see fig. 218. In some 
instances, and more particularly in long-standing cases, the inflammation 
and disease has extended from the lining surface of the vagina through 
the mouth of the womb into the cavity of the womb, producing what is 
called intra uterine leucorrhoea, with yellow or greenish discharges, of an 
offensive odor, and often mixed with streaks of blood, &c. Such cases are 
far more difficult of cure, and frequently require the cavity of the womb 
to be cleansed out with weak solutions of carbolic acid, containing a drachm 
of the acid to a pint of soft warm water. 

Ulceration op the Neck of the Womb. 

The neck of the womb comes down into the upper end of the vaginal 
canal very much like the lower end of a cork comes down into a bottle, 
and is covered with the same delicate, pale pink colored mucous membrane 
which lines the vagina, and is very liable to become inflamed and ulcerated, 
more especially when the constitution has become feeble, and the health is 
broken down. 

When any woman takes cold and has a slight attack of catarrhal fever, 
she will often notice upon the mucous membrane covering the lips, or gums 
small white blisters, filled with a white matter, or viscid fluid, which soon 
break and discharge, forming a small ulcerated cavity lined with greyish 
matter, and is often exceedingly sore and painful. These little ulcers upon 
the gums and lips are often called "cold sores," and when properly treat- 
ed soon heal and disappear. Ulcerations upon the neck of the womb 
often commence much in the same way. When a woman takes cold the 
mucous membrane covering the neck of the womb becomes red and inflamed, 
causing flashes of heat, and burning sensations, &c. When this disease is 
neglected, or improperly treated, small white blisters, or vesicles, appear upon 
the mucous membrane covering the neck of the womb, which soon break 
and discharge, forming a minute ulcer, not larger than a millet-seed, filled 
with greyish matter, which is often quite sore and painful. When prop- 
erly treated, with suitable applications, these minute ulcers soon heal and 
disappear, but when jaeglected, or improperly treated, they gradually enlarge 
until they may involve the whole surface of the neck of the womb, when 
it becomes a mass of ulceration, continually discharging thick yellow, or 
greenish matter, which often becomes exceedingly offensive, and poisonous, 
to every thing that it comes in contact with. 

Cure of Ulceration of the Neck of the Womb. 
Ulceration of the neck of the womb may be successfully treated and 
speedily cured, by any woman of ordinary intelligence, when properly in- 
structed. In the first place, perfect cleanliness is indispensable to promote 



394 DISEASES OP WOMEN. 

a healthy action in all ulcerations upon any part of the body. Ulcers upon 
any part of the system, when neglected, soon become foul and unhealthy, 
and gradually enlarge instead of healing. Various cleansing washes may 
be used, not less than three times a day, for the purpose of cleansing and 
healing ulcerations upon the neck of the womb. Borax and glycerin, alum, 
carbolate of soda, sulphate of zinc and nitrate of silver, are among the best 
remedies for this purpose. The strength of these various remedies must 
depend upon circumstances. "When a caustic effect is desired, nitrate of 
silver may be applied in solid substance, or a solution containing one drachm 
to an ounce of water. Astringent solutions of carbolic acid, or creasote 
may be used for the same purpose. As a wash to stimulate old foul and 
indolent ulcers upon the neck of the womb, and to induce healthy granu- 
lation, nothing is superior to carbolic acid and glycerin, in water, of the 
following strength, carbolic acid one drachm; glycerin four ounces; water 
twelve ounces. Mix; inject a syringeful three times a day, with a good 
vaginal syringe, having a shield to retain the wash in the vagina, in contact 
with the ulcerations, from five to ten minutes. In many cases borax an- 
swers an admirable purpose. It should be prepared as follows : borax two 
drachms; glycerin four ounces; water twelve ounces. Inject a syringeful 
three times a day, and retain it ten minutes. If there is much pain or 
backache, add thirty drops of laudanum to each syringeful of the wash 
before injecting it. With a good syringe, any lady of ordinary intelligence 
is capable of making all necessary applications to the neck and mouth of 
the womb herself. The author is well aware that this statement will not 
please a large class of physicians, who make the treatment of these diseases 
a specialty. Women have been long taught, that they must submit to 
medical examinations, frequently repeated, and must have some physician 
apply caustic to the ulcers on the mouth of the womb, or they " must die" 
&c. Now the author has had much experience in the treatment of this 
class of difficulties, and fearlessly asserts that there is no real necessity for 
anything of the kind. When women prefer to have caustic applied per- 
sonally by any intelligent physician, they, can do so with success, and when 
they prefer to apply the same remedies themselves, they can do' so equally 
as well, and with even greater success, as the author has verified in thous- 
ands of cases. To enable any woman to make these applications, all that is 
required is a good syringe, such as may' be seen figured in another place. 
To ensure perfect cleanliness, and cause the ulcers to heal with the utmost 
rapidity, these washes should be applied frequently — as often as three 
times a day, in many instances. Carelessness and neglect may do well 
enough in regard to other matters, but it will not do in the treatment of 
ulceration of the neck of the womb. 

When the constitution is. exhausted, and the general health is much im- 



DISEASES OF WOMEN. 395 

paired, it will be often found necessary to build up the system, by the use 
of some good tonic, to induce these ulcerations to heal rapidly. For this 
purpose the following tonic may be taken: pyrophosphate of iron two 
drachms; citric acid two drachms; quinine one drachm; strychnia three 
grains. Mix and pulverize, then add one pint of simple syrup, shake up 
and take a teaspoonful after meals, three times a day, in a wineglassful of 
water. 

Diseases op the Cavity of the Womb. 

The opening into the cavity of the womb is about the size of a common 
clay pipe stem, and is called the os uteri, or mouth of the womb. This 
opening is perfectly round in women who have borne no children, and af- 
terwards becomes elliptical, in those who have become mothers of numerous 
offspring. "When it is examined, it communicates the same sensation to 
the end of the finger, that is produced upon it when it is firmly pressed 
against the end of the nose ! The cavity of the womb is triangular shaped, 
and is lined with' the same pale, pink colored mucous membrane which 
lines the vaginal canal. 

The mucous membrane lining the womb is subject to the same diseases 
which affect the mucous membrane lining the vaginal canal. Inflamma- 
tion, affecting the vagina, is often extended upwards through the mouth 
of the womb, and attacks the lining surface of this organ, causing pain 
in the lower portion of the spine, with chills, burning sensations, flashes 
of heat, &c. When this disease is neglected or improperly treated, it 
may result in ulceration of the cavity of the womb, followed by copious 
discharges of offensive matter, which poisons and excoriates all of the 
parts with which it may be brought in contact. 

Treatment. When the lining surface of the womb becomes inflamed, 
and ulcerated, it requires the most thorough and careful treatment for its 
restoration to health. In the first place, the constitution should be 
strengthened and invigorated by the use of suitable astringent tonics, such 
as the iron-alum, quinine, and nux vomica. The skin should be well pro- 
tected, and the extremities kept warm, by good thick, warm clothing, worn 
loosely about the waist. The bowels should be kept well opened, by the 
use of cooling laxative enemata. The inflamed, or ulcerated cavity of the 
womb should be carefully cleansed out, by the use of washes, composed of 
chlorate of potash one drachm, carbolic acid one drachm, and water one 
pint. A little of this wash should be injected into the cavity of the womb, 
by means of a suitable syringe, once a day, see fig. 218. Warm hip baths, 
composed of salt water, should be taken at bed-time, and this treatment 
should be continued until a perfect cure has been effected. 
Intra-Uterine Tumors. 

When the lining surface of the womb becomes inflamed or ulcerated, 



396 



DISEASES OP WOMEN. 



and the disease is neglected or improperly treated, it may be followed by 



Fig. 231. 




Fibrous Tumor in the Cavity of the Womb. 1, the 
Rectum ; 2, Cavity of the Womb ; 3, Cavity of the 
Bladder; 4, Cavity of the "Vagina; 5, Fibrous Tumor 
attached to the inside of the Womb. 



the formation of fibrous or pol- 
ypoid tumors, attached to the 
lining surface of the womb, as 
seen in the accompanying illus- 
tration. These tumors gradually 
increase in size, causing the womb 
and abdomen to enlarge, and pre- 
sent many of the usual evidences 
of pregnancy. In some instances 
these tumors are finally expelled 
from the cavity of the womb, by 
the contraction of its muscular 
fibres, into the cavity of the va- 
gina, where they may remain for 
years, still attached to the cavity 
of the womb, by means of long 
pedicles or cords, through which 
they receive a supply of blood, 
and still continue to grow. 

Treatment of intra-uterine tu- 
mors. Such tumors, contained in 
the cavity of the womb, may of- 
ten be destroyed, or their growth 
arrested, by the injection of so- 
lutions of iodine and iodide of 
potash, into the cavity of the 
womb : iodide of potash two 
grains, iodine two grains, spirits 
of wine one ounce. A teaspoon- 
ful of this fluid may be added to 
an ounce of warm water, and a 
syringeful injected into the cavity 
of the womb, once or twice a week. 

When these tumors present 
themselves at the mouth of the 
womb, and can be seen, they 



should be ligated with a silver 
wire, and destroyed, or they may be removed by the ecrazeur. These ope- 
rations may be performed with comparatively little danger, and are usually 
followed by the happiest results, when skillfully executed. 



DISEASES OP WOMEN. 



397 



Ovarian Tumors. 

The ovaries, which are situated on each side of the womb, see fig. 223, 
often become enlarged, inflamed and ulcerated, from sympathetic irritation, 
caused by disease of the neck and Fi G% 232. 

cavity of the womb, more espe- 
cially in women of a strumous or 
scrofulous constitution. When 
either, or both of the ovaries be- 
come inflamed, the disease is called 
ovaritis. This disease will cause 
pain, tenderness and soreness in- 
side of the edges of the hip bones, 
in the region of the ovaries, much 
increased on standing and walk- 
ing. When the ovaries become 
enlarged, they may often be de- 
tected, by careful examination, 
While laying down and inclining 
a little to one side, by firm pres- 
sure of the hand along the region 
occupied by these organs. At 
first the ovary may be only very 
slightly enlarged, soft and tender, 
but when neglected or improperly 
treated, it is found gradually to 
increase in size, and becomes hard 
and shaped like a pear, rolling 
beneath the ends of the fingers 
as if it was unattached to the in- 
side of the body. It may be 
detected sometimes much more 
distinctly than at other times. 
Colds, standing and walking, al- 
ways appear to increase its size 
and tenderness. These tumors 
are sometimes firm and solid, but 
more frequently they are encysted, 
or divided into numerous cells, or 
separate cysts, like a piece of 
honey comb, and filled with a thin 
brownish colored fluid, about the 

consistence of thin honey, as seen in the accompanying illustration 
26 




A Section of the Cavity of the Abdomen and Pelvis, 
exhibiting a large Monilecular Tumor 5, attached to 
the Womb 2 ; the Bladder 3, much reduced in size from 
the pressure of the Tumor against it. 



These 



398 DISEASES OP WOMEN. 

tumors of the ovaries are not cancerous or malignant in their character, 
and are only injurious to health, and destructive to life in consequence of 
their great size and weight, interfering with the functions of the organs of 
the cavity of the abdomen, chest and pelvis. These tumors sometimes at- 
tain enormous size. The author removed one from a lady in Albany Co., 
N. Y., weighing a little over ninety-six pounds. They will often weigh from 
twenty to forty pounds. As already stated, these tumors nearly always ori- 
ginate in some disease of the neck or cavity of the womb. For many years 
past, while delivering popular lectures in all of the chief cities and towns 
of this country, the author has examined several hundred cases, and has 
instituted a series of careful inquiries as to the origin of this, and other 
diseases, and when the question has been asked, " were you in good health, 
and free from any uterine disease and disturbance, when you first noticed 
this tumor?" And the answer has been "no," "I was subject to pain 
low down across my spine and hips, with leucorrhoeal discharges." Few 
women have any adequate idea of the great risks they run for want of 
sufficient, warm and proper clothing upon the body and extremities, or of 
the danger of neglecting to attend to the slightest evidence of disease and 
disturbance of the uterine system. All of these diseases at first, are very 
simple in their character, and are very easily cured, but when they are 
neglected, often become complicated with other diseases, or become chronic 
and dangerous, and difficult of relief. 

Treatment. It is only at the commencement of this disease that there is 
any hope of removing ovarian tumors by medical treatment. When the ovar- 
ies become irritable, congested or inflamed, with soreness and tenderness on 
pressure in the region of these organs, the diet should be light, digesti- 
ble and nutritous, and the bowels should be kept freely open, by the use 
of saline cathartics, such as Rochelle salts, or the citrate of magnesia, taken 
early in the morning, followed by some good alterative tonic, such as the 
syrup of iodide of iron, after eating, three times a day. When inflamma- 
tion of the ovaries is associated with inflammation of the neck or cavity of 
the womb, it must be removed by the use of remedies which have been 
mentioned in another place. It is well known that there is the most inti- 
mate sympathy between the womb and all its appendages, and the mam- 
mary glands and other organs of the body. When the womb becomes in- 
flamed, and its functions are interrupted, the breasts often become irritable 
and tender, and small hard scrofulous tumors are formed in them, more es- 
pecially in women of a strumous, or scrofulous constitution, and which only 
can be removed by removing the disease of the womb which indirectly pro- 
duced them. The same is true of inflammation of the ovaries. Use a 
warm salt hip bath night and morning, and while in the warm salt bath, 
inject some of it freely, with a good vaginal syringe. Rub a little tincture 



DISEASES OP WOMEN. 399 

of belladonna into the skin over the inflamed ovaries night and morning. 
When there is any leuchorrhceal discharges from the vagina, use an injec- 
tion composed of borax one drachm; fluid extract of belladonna one drachm; 
iodide of potash thirty grains; warm water one pint. Mix. Inject one 
syringeful three times a day, and retain it for ten minutes with the shield 
of the syringe. This treatment should be continued until fully restored. 

As a means of reducing glandular enlargements, the author knows of no 
application superior to the extract of belladonna. It may be applied to 
the skin over the enlarged ovaries in the form of tincture, extract or plas- 
ter. The latter is much the neatest and most cleanly. It should be care- 
fully spread on linen cloth, and worn constantly over the enlarged ovary, 
while using the internal, or constitutional treatment mentioned in another 
place. 

When either of the ovaries become enormously enlarged, or when there 
is dropsy of either of the Fallopian tubes, or an encysted tumor which can- 
not be arrested in its growth, or reduced in size by appropriate treatment, 
and more especially, when the general health appears to suffer, or is impair- 
ed by its presence, it then becomes necessary to decide as to the propriety 
of its removal by a surgical operation. This operation looks far more for- 
midable than it really is. It is neither a dangerous or difficult operation 
to open the cavity of the abdomen, and remove an enlarged ovary or an 
encysted tumor. The great danger is in the suppurative inflammation and 
fever, which often follow the operation. This danger is not greater than 
that which follows the performance of any of the great surgical operations, 
such as amputation of the thigh, &c. When skillfully performed upon 
well selected cases, a large majority will recover. 

There are many other organic diseases of the womb and its appendages, 
for a description of which there is not space in a work like this, which is 
not designed to give a minute description of all of the diseases peculiar to 
women. Only the more common and most important diseases can be men- 
tioned. At another time and in a smaller work, devoted exclusively to the 
subject, the author hopes to do fuller justice to the subject. His private 
pathological cabinet contains over five hundred French models and speci- 
mens, especially designed to illustrate the diseases of women, and is far 
superior to anything of the kind in this country, and is open to the exami- 
nation of women, who wish to understand more about their own physical 
organization. 



400 



FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES OF THE WOMB. 



LECTURE XXXV. 
FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES OF THE WOMB. 
The womb is one of the most wonderful and interesting of all the organs 
of the human body, and is concerned in the manifestation of some of the 
most important functions of animal life. 

Fig. 233. 




A Section of the Womb and its appendages. 1, the Vaginal Canal divided through the 
middle ; 2, the Womb, divided through the middle ; 3, one of the Ovaries, and 4, one of the 
Fallopian Tubes, with its fimbriated extremities ; 5, one of the Fallopian Tubes, and 6, one 
of the Ovaries, divided through the middle, exhibiting the Ova passing down through the 
Fallopian Tubes into the Womb, and through the Womb out into the Vagina. 

When the womb is examined at birth, and in old age, it is found to be 
not larger than a common thimble, and the ovaries, which are attached to 
each side of it, are scarcely discernible. At the age of puberty the womb 
seems to take on new action, and rapidly increases in size, and when men- 
struation first manifests itself, it weighs ten or eleven ounces. 

Oh each side of the womb we shall discover two oval shaped bodies, 
called the ovaries, which are attached to the womb by means of small round 
cords, called the ovarian ligaments. These cords are sometimes divided, 
and the ovaries are removed from the inferior animals, rendering them 
sterile, or barren. Above the ovaries, on each side, we shall observe two 
trumpet shaped pipes, called the Fallopian tubes, with their fimbriated, or 
finger like extremities, resting upon the ovaries beneath them. 



functions and diseases of the womb. 401 

Puberty. 

When the young female arrives at the average age of fifteen, in our 
country and climate, the blood-vessels of the ovaries seem to take an in- 
creased action, carrying into the ovaries an increased supply of blood, caus- 
ing them to rapidly increase in size, and form numerous ova, or eggs. 
When the ovaries are examined carefully, they are seen to contain great 
multitudes of little round white vesicles, or membranous sacs, about as 
large as millet seeds. When carefully opened, each little sac is found to 
contain a minute ovum, or egg, perfectly resembling all parts of the egg 
of a bird in miniature, only it wants the delicate calcarious film called the 
shell. 

As soon as one of these ova, or eggs, has been fully developed, it becomes 
so large that the little ova sac, or vesicle containing it bursts open, sponta- 
neously, to allow the human ovum to escape, much in the same way that the 
chestnut burs burst open in Autumn, and allow the nuts to fall upon the 
ground. When these little ova sacs burst open, it is followed by consider- 
able congestion and excitement of the parts, and the escape of a consid- 
erable quantity of blood from the ruptured ova sac, down through the 
Fallopian tubes into the cavity of the womb, where it is mixed with mucus < 
and other secretions, and is then discharged from the body, forming what 
is called the menstrual flow, or periodical discharge. This discharge con- 
tinues for three or four days, or until the egg finally escapes from the rup- 
tured ova sac, and it heals and closes its bleeding cavity, forming a little 
white scar, called a corpus lutei. When first discovered, these little white 
bodies in the ovaries were supposed to indicate the number of conceptions 
which had taken place, but now they are regarded as simply white scars, 
or marks indicating the number of ova which have formed and escaped 
from the ovaries. 

As soon as the period of menstruation has ceased, the ova or eggs begin 
to pass down through the Fallopian tubes into the cavity of the womb. 
The period of time required for the passage of the ova down through the 
Follopian tubes and womb, into the vagina, varies from ten to fourteen 
days. 

Irregular Menstruation. 

The manifestation of the functions of menstruation in the human fe- 
male, is simply an indication that she has arrived at the period of matur- 
ity, and that the ova have been formed for the continuation of the human 
species. The time when this period arrives varies in different countries 
and climates, and it also depends upon temperament, occupation and em- 
ployment. In tropical countries and warm climates, the female often ma- 
tures at seven, and in northern countries and cold climates, not before 



402 FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES OP THE WOMB. 

seventeenor eighteen. Females of a sanguine temperament mature earlier 
than those who are lymphatic ; those who read novels, and " go into so- 
ciety," earlier than those who are not allowed such privileges ! As a gen- 
eral rule, women who mature early decay early. Menstruation is a kind 
of vital thermometer or indicator, of the constitutional condition of wo- 
man. When in perfect health, and not pregnant, she should menstruate 
as often as once in twenty-eight days, with the regularity of a clock! But 
when the constitution becomes impaired, and the blood making powers are 
feeble, or the system has been drained and exhausted by disease, or con- 
finement at unhealthy employments, and the blood becomes thin and im- 
poverished, and does not form the ova, and when they do not grow, and, 
by their increased size, burst open the little ova sacs which contain them, 
menstruation becomes irregular, or ceases. 

Suppressed Menstruation. 

When the female ceases to menstruate, after this function has been es- 
tablished, between the ages of fifteen and forty-five, the disease is called 
suppressed menstruation, which may be caused by pregnancy, or by im- 
poverishment of the blood, produced by various diseases, or unhealthy em- 
ployments. When the female does not begin to menstruate at the average 
age of fifteen in our climate, or when having menstruated for a longer or 
shorter period, she becomes irregular, or ceases to menstruate, and is not 
pregnant, the irregularity or suppression is to be regarded as the evidence 
of failing health, and to need attention. Cessation of menstruation is 
often the forerunner of consumption, or premature decay 

Treatment. In this disease, our whole attention should be directed to the 
improvement of the blood making powers, and the restoration of the powers 
of nutrition. This is to be accomplished first, by improving the power 
to digest good nourishing food. Tonic remedies will be useless, as long as 
the tongue is covered with a coating of brown or yellow fur, and the mouth 
tastes bad, and the breath is offensive, indicating an irritable stomach, and 
a torpid liver. Commence the treatment by the use of a few pills, as fol- 
lows : compound extract of coloeynth ten grains, blue mass ten grains, 
pulverized ipecac two grains. Mix, and divide into five pills, take two of 
them every other evening at bed time, followed by a draught of the citrate 
of magnesia, early next morning, and continued until the tongue becomes 
clean. Then use the following tonic : pyrophosphate of iron four drachms, 
quinine one drachm, citric acid two drachms, strychnia three grains. Mix, 
and powder, then add simple syrup one pint. Take a teaspoonful after 
eating, in a little water. Eat light, nourishing, and wholesome food. 
Avoid sedentary and inactive habits and employments. Exercise daily in 
the open air and sunlight ! 



FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES OP THE WOMB. 403 

DlSMENORRHCEA. 

Dismenorrhoea y or painful menstruation, may be produced by different 
causes. Sometimes it may depend upon inflammation or ulceration of the 
cavity of the womb, causing pain in the manifestation of its functions, 
and again it may depend upon contraction of the cavity of the mouth and 
neck of the womb. When painful menstruation depends upon disease of 
the cavity of the womb, the pain will usually last all through the period of 
menstruation, and is followed with pain and weakness of the lower portion 
of the spine, or spinal neuralgia and general debility. While in other in- 
stances the general health is good, and the lower portion of the spine is 
free from irritation, and the cavity of the womb is free from disease, and 
the pain is very severe only at the commencement of menstruation, and 
lasts for a few hours only, or until the cavity of the neck and mouth of 
the womb have been dilated sufficiently to allow the menstrual flow to es- 
cape. When painful menstruation depends upon contraction of the mouth 
and neck of the womb, the menstrual fluid accumulates in the cavity of 
this organ, and not being able to escape through its contracted orifice, causes 
irritation, by its presence in the uterine cavity, followed by pain and uter- 
ine contraction, for its expulsion. At first the menstrual fluid which is 
discharged through the contracted neck and mouth of the womb, is thin 
and briny, but when the neck and mouth of the womb become sufficiently 
dilated, the discharge becomes thick, dark and tarry, and shreds and pieces 
of membrane are thrown off by the lining suface of the womb. 

Treatment. The treatment for the cure of dismenorrhoea must depend 
upon the cause which produced it. When caused by uterine irritation or 
inflammation, warm salt hip baths should be used night and morning, and 
while in the bath inject some of the warm salt water freely, with a good 
vaginal syringe, apply a belladonna plaster to the lower part of the spine, 
and take the following: muriate of ammonia one ounce, muriated tincture 
of iron one ounce, simple syrup one pint. Mix, shake up, and take a tea- 
spoonful after meals in a little water, three times a day. Continue this 
treatment in the intervals, between the menstrual periods, and when the 
premonitory pains and other symptoms indicate that menstruation is about 
to come on, then take one of the following pills, three times a day : solid 
extract of hyosciamus twenty grains, gum camphor twenty grains, Dover's 
powder twenty grains. Mix, divide into sixty pills. Continue these pills 
until the pain disappears. 

When painful menstruation depends upon contraction of the mouth of 
the womb, it can only be permanently cured by the forcible dilation of 
its contracted orifice. This can best be accomplished, by the careful in- 
troduction of sponge tents, prepared for that purpose, and for sale at most 



404 FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES OP THE WOMB. 

of the stores of surgical instrument makers. It is best to commence this 
treatment soon after the cessation of the menstrual period, while the mouth 
of the womb is still soft and partially dilated. Having introduced the fore- 
finger into the vaginal canal, and discovered the contracted orifice, or open- 
ing into the mouth of the womb, press the end of the finger firmly against 
it, and while doing so, slide the sponge tent along the surface of the finger 
which serves as a guide, until it is made to enter the mouth of the womb, 
when it is pressed firmly into it, and allowed to remain from four to six 
hours Being composed of dried and compressed sponge, it will soon absorb 
moisture from the secretions of the parts, and begin to swell, and as it does 
so, gradually dilate the cavity of the neck and mouth of the womb to any 
size required. These tents should be introduced as often as every other day, 
until the desired result has been attained. 

Menorrhagia, or Profuse Menstruation. 

The true menstrual discharge only occurs once in about twenty-eight days, 
and previous to the escape of the ovum. But hemorrhages may take place 
from the nose, throat, lungs, bowels, bladder and womb at almost any time, 
when caused by disease of these organs. Congestion of the brain is often 
followed by hemorrhages of the nose. Congestion of the lungs is also fol- 
lowed by hemorrhages from the lungs, and congestion of the womb will 
often be followed by dangerous hemorrhages from that organ. Uterine 
hemorrhages may also be produced by fibrous, or polypoid tumors, which 
must be removed to obtain permanent relief. 

Treatment of uterine hemorrhages. For the cure of uterine hemor- 
rhages, the dress must be worn loosely around the waist, and the skirts 
must be suspended upon the shoulders, by means of short straps, or a well 
adjusted under-vest. Remain quiet in the recumbent position, and take 
some good astringent tonic internally, such as the iron-alum, or aromatic 
sulphuric acid, as follows : aromatic sulphuric acid one ounce, compound 
tincture of cinchona five ounces. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three times 
a day in a wineglassful of water. Cleanse out the mouth after using this 
remedy, to prevent its injuring the teeth ! When uterine hemorrhages 
are very profuse, and threaten the immediate destruction of life, a small 
sponge should be wet in vinegar and water, and then carefully introduced 
into the vaginal canal. Or, in case of emergency, when a sponge is not 
attainable, a soft linen pocket handkerchief or napkin, may be quickly 
folded, and then wet in vinegar and water, and placed in the cavity of the 
vagina, where it serves as a tampon or plug, and so arrests the hemorrhage. 
A tampon or plug should be allowed to remain for a day or two, and then 
softened with warm water, and carefully removed. When hemorrhages 
of the womb resist ordinary treatment, the mouth and cavity of the womb 






FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES OF THE WOMB. 405 

should always be examined, to ascertain if the disease does not depend 
upon the presence of a polypus or other tumor, in the cavity of the vagina, 
or the mouth of the womb, which should be removed by means detailed 
in another place. 

Cessation of Menstruation. 

As already mentioned in another place, menstruation usually commences 
at the average age of fifteen in this country or climate, and continues on 
to the average age of forty-five, when it begins to decline, and becomes 
irregular, being interrupted for a month or two, and then returning for a 
time, and finally disappearing permanently. During this period in the life 
of woman, all of the ova have ripened or matured, and been cast off by 
the ovaries, and have escaped from the womb. The womb has now fully 
attained the object of its creation, and at once begins to decrease in size, 
and in old age it is no larger than that of an infant. At this critical age, 
many diseas )8 peculiar to women cure themselves spontaneously. When 
the womb becomes atrophied from old age, it is no longer prolapsed, as it 
often is at an earlier period of her existence. This period of the life of 
woman is often called critical, because old liabilities and diseases disappear, 
and new ones appear ! Previous to the age of forty-five, her system has 
been drained by the loss of from four to six ounces of menstrual fluid 
every twenty-eight days, which has served to reduce the force of her cir- 
culation, and impair her strength. At this critical period, this great drain- 
age ceases, and from this time forward all of her blood is retained in her 
system, and rapidly increases in quantity and improves in quality ! 

In consequence of the improvement in quality and increase in the quan- 
tity of the blood, there is a tendency to increase in flesh at this period, 
if the woman is in good health. The waist enlarges, despite the vigorous 
use of the corset, and the weight of the body rapidly increases. 

The dangers of this critical period depend upon the rapid increase and 
accumulation of blood, and should be averted by great care in regard to 
the diet, and other habits of life. The diet should be light, simple, and 
easily digested, consisting of cooked fruit, and vegetables, with bread, and 
meat once a day. , Carefully avoid all stimulants, and highly seasoned food, 
wines, beer, coffee, tobacco, &c. As a means of preventing and relieving 
dangerous engorgements of the liver, lungs, heart and brain, and the ten- 
dency to congestion of the lungs and brain, causing fits, convulsions, apo- 
plexy, palsy, and death, keep the bowels freely open, at this critical period 
of life, by the use of cooked fruits, coarse wheat bread, &c. When this 
does not fully answer the purpose, prepared figs may often be used with 
advantage, a little while after each meal. Dry one pound of figs on a 
plate in the oven, remove the dust, and put them in a bowl. Steep one 
ounce of fresh senna leaves in half a pint of boiling water, in a covered 



406 FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES OP THE WOMB. 

vessel, for half an hour. Strain and pour this senna tea over the dry figs 
in the bowl. Cover and set them away for use. Eat one or two of these 
prepared figs early in the morning, and before each meal, as an admirable 
laxative. Figs soaked in strong senna tea, in this way, may afterwards be 
re-dried, and laid away for further use, and will keep for any length of 
time that may be required. 

It will also be very desirable at this critical period of life, and more es- 
pecially for plethoric persons of a full habit, to avoid all excitement of the 
passions and feelings. Fits, convulsions, apoplexy, palsy, &c, at this 
period of life may be induced by strong mental excitement. Many women 
have often seen persons suffer in this way, without understanding or ap- 
preciating the cause of their wretchedness. It is well known and gene- 
rally admitted, that not all women are married to angels ! Sometimes the 
husband of a woman, at this critical period of life, and in bad health, may 
say something to her, which is very annoying : perhaps insinuate that she 
is a little indolent, or " not as sick as she might be," ?. could do all the 
work if she had a mind to," &c, and the wife imprudently retorts, when, 
according to the old story, one word brings on another, followed by great 
excitement, ending in a fit or convulsion I The neighbors and friends are 
now summoned, and hasten to the relief of their friend, one holds the vin- 
egar cruet to her nose, another rubs her hand, another her foot, until she 
recovers, when they all hasten home, feeling conscious that they have done 
a good deed, but they never stop to inquire what caused their friend to 
have a fit. 

A great many women have been murdered by inches in this way, with- 
out the busy world ever dreaming of it, much less taking cognizance of 
the fact. Men who know little of the constitution, nature and wants of 
women at this critical period of her life, sometimes forget to sympathise 
with their wives in all their trials, troubles and difficulties. The wife, un- 
happy, takes this cold neglect, and unkind treatment to heart, becomes 
wretched, weary, and sick of life. Her friends and neighbours call upon 
her often, but she never imparts to any of them the secret of her sorrow, 
and they often say, "what a beautiful woman!" "How resigned!" "I 
never heard her complain all through her illness !" By and by she dies, 
and when she is gone, even her husband is forced to realize, when alas it is 
too late, that he has lost a beautiful wife ! 

At no period during the life of any woman, is sympathy and kindness, 
and forbearance so essential, as it is at this turning point in the period of 
a woman's existence. If she passes happily through this " crisis of her 
life" unscathed by disease, she may then look forward with confidence to 
a happy old age, freed from many of the liabilities and diseases incident 
to her earlier life. 



ORIGIN OF LIFE. 



407 



LECTURE XXXYI. 



ORIGIN OF LIFE. 



Fig. 234. 




A drop of Water con- 
taining Monads, high" 
ly magnified. 



Everything that lives, the most simple, as well as the most complex in 
its structure and organization, begins its existence in a minute atom of 
granular matter, called a cell germ. These little germs are so exceedingly 
minute, that it is estimated that more than 600,000,000 of them may be 
contained in a single drop of water. 

Many of the lowest forms of animals and plants re- 
main in this simple germinal condition through the 
whole period of their existence, as will be seen in the 
twilight monad, and other animals of the same class. 
This little animal is so wonderfully minute that it can 
only be seen and examined, by means of magnifying 
glasses of great power. Being so simple in its structure 
and organization, it is generally regarded by naturalists 
as marking the dawn or beginning of animal life. 

As we ascend the scale of animal and vegetable life, it 
will be seen, that each one of these little germs is endowed 
with power to absorb nutriment from the surrounding 
elements, and gradually form for itself a thin skin, en- 
closing the original cell germ in its cavity, and constitu- 
ting a perfect cell, which is a type of all plants and 
animals. Each perfect living animal or vegetable cell, 
consists of an original cell germ (1), a cell mem- 
brane (2), enclosing a cavity (3), filled with 
viscid granular fluid. 

All animals and plants, from the simple mo- 
nad to the human species, is composed of living 
animal or vegetable cells. Those composed of 
a single cell like the volvox, are called una cell- 
ular, or one celled, while others, including the 
human species, being composed of great mul- 
titudes of cells, are called multicellular, as seen 
in all of the more perfect orders of plants, 
animals, and in man ! 

As soon as these minute animals and plants have become perfectly de- 




408 



ORIGIN OF LIFE. 




New Cells forming 
in the cavities of the 
old ones. 



Fig. 237. veloped, and have obtained the full object of their exis- 

tence, the minute granules floating in the viscid fluid, fill- 
ing their cavities, unite, forming new cell germs, and from 
their surfaces delicate films are soon raised up, like little 
blisters, and gradually extend themselves until they form 
membranous sacs, surrounding the germs, and forming 
new cells within the cavities of the old ones. These new 
cells formed within the cavities of the old ones, continue 
to absorb nutriment, and feed upon the fluid contents of 
the old ones, growing, and gradually increasing in size, until they become 
so large that they hurst open the cavity of the old cell, and escaping, at 
once begin an independent existence. 

Other animal and vegetable cells multiply themselves by the formation 
of partitions across their cavities, and divide themselves through the mid- 
dle, while others form buds upon their outside surface, which gradually 
increase in size until they separate themselves into new cells, or remaining 
together, by rapid increase in numbers, they extend themselves in every 
direction, as may be seen in the growth of the conferva, the yeast plant, 
and other animal and vegetable parasites. 




Fig. 239. 




Conferva. 



Yeast Plant. 



It will be seen that each living animal and vegetable cell, constitutes 
within itself a perfect animal or plant, and is capable of maintaining a dis- 
tinct and separate existence. It can absorb and digest nutriment, and by de- 
positing it upon its interior surface it grows, increases in size, alters its shape, 
changes its appearance, reproduces itself and dies, after exercising all of 
the functions common to animal and vegetable life. 

All parts of the bodies of these lower animals and plants being compo- 
sed of cells, are capable of exercising the functions of reproduction. Each 



ORIGIN OF LIFE. 409 

cell entering into their composition, is capable of reproducing itself. When 
animals and plants become more perfectly organized and complicated in their 
structure, only certain parts of their bodies are capable of forming repro- 
ductive cell germs, and exercising the functions of reproduction. These 
organs on account of their uses are called the organs of reproduction. The 
male organs of reproduction are so called, because they form the male cell 
germs, and the female organs of reproduction are so named because they 
form the female cell germs. In some of the lower animals and plants the 
male and female organs of reproduction are united in the same animal or 
plant, constituting what is called animal or vegetable hermaphrodites. In 
nearly all of the more perfect plants and animals, the male and female or- 
gans of reproduction are found in different animals, called male and female. 
In the frog, fish and other cold-blooded animals, the female organ of repro- 
duction is called the roe. When carefully examined, this organ is found 
to be composed of great multitudes of minute ova, or eggs, enclosed in soil 
and delicate membranous bags, called ova sacs When carefully examined 
with a magnifying glass each little ovum, or egg, is found to be composed 
of a thin delicate skin upon the inside, enclosing a layer of white albumi- 
nous substance, and a vitellus, or yolk, upon the surface of which is seen an 
opake spot enclosing a minute female cell germ, as seen in the accompa- 
nying illustration, representing the eggs of a frog, highly p IG 249 
magnified. The eggs of the frog and fish contained 
in the roe gradually increase in size, until they finally 
burst open the thin and delicate sacs which contain 
them, and are then discharged from the female organs 
of reproduction. When the little bags, or sacs con- 
taining these minute eggs, burst open to allow the eggs 
to escape, the ruptured sacs bleed, or discharge a thin 
fluid, which varies in color as it escapes from the fe- E s« 8 > or Spawn of a 
male organ. In some animate it is white, in others 
opake, in others green, yellowish or red, as seen in the higher animals, and 
in the human species. This fluid is called the menstrual discharge, and its 
appearance announces the rupture of the ova sacs, and precedes the escape 
of the ovum, or egg ! 

As soon as the eggs of the frog or the fish are perfectly developed, and 
are about to burst open the little ova sacs which contain them, these ani- 
mals, guided by the instinct of nature, select such situations as are the 
most favorable for incubation or hatching, and cast them off upon the bottom 
of the river, lake, or sea. When examined, these eggs of the frog and fish 
are found to resemble those of the bird, being composed of a thin, white, albu- 
minous layer, enclosing a round body, called the vitellus, or yolk, upon the 




410 ORIGIN OF LIFE. 

surface of which may be seen a small opake spot, containing the female 
cell germ. When discovered, the male casts upon the eggs of the female 
the semen, or male principle, containing the male cell germs, which unite 
with those of the female, producing an embryo, or rudiment of a new ani- 
mal. This embryonic cell germ is soon developed into a perfect cell, 
which soon forms a number of new ones within its cavity, (see fig. 237,) 
and these again form others with great rapidity. These little cells are 
Soon united together, forming all of the tissues and organs of the new 
animal. The eggs of the frog, fish, and other cold blooded animals, being 
impregnated, require but little heat to carry on the process of incubation, 
and no care or supervision on the part of male or female. Being deposited 
upon the sand or gravel at the bottom of the river, lake or ocean, by the 
female, and impregnated by the male, they are soon abandoned to the pro- 
tection of the elements. The period of incubation varies. In some of the 
lower animals it is accomplished in a few hours, in others days and weeks 
are required. The ova of fish are usually hatched in from seventy to one 
hundred and twenty days. The powers of reproduction manifested by 
many of the infusoria, or lowest form of animal and vegetable life, is in- 
deed marvellous, enabling them to people the ocean, the air, and the wild 
woods with countless millions of plants and animals, in almost endless 
variety. The roe of a single herring is said to contain more than five 
millions, the shad more than seven millions, and the cod fish more than 
nine millions of perfect ova. The function of reproduction is manifested 
with extraordinary facility and rapidity among the lower plants and ani- 
mals. As a general rule, the lower the plant or animal in the scale of 
vegetable or animal life, the greater the facility and rapidity of the 
exercise of the functions of reproduction ! The simple monad multiplies 
his species with wonderful rapidity, while the human species can manifest 
the same functions only to a limited extent, and at considerable intervals ! 

In birds, the female organ of reproduction is located within the cavity 
of the abdomen, and is called the ovary, or egg producer. It is found to 
be composed of a number of ova sacs, or little bags, containing the ova or 
eggs, in the process of formation, (as seen in fig. 241) representing the 
reproductive organs of the common domestic fowl. At first the eggs are 
quite small, but they rapidly increase in size until they burst open the thin 
bags or ova sacs which contain them, and enter the ova duct or tube, and 
are soon cast off from the organs of reproduction. 

When the ova sac bursts open, to allow the egg of the bird to escape, 
it discharges a thin viscid fluid, which soon escapes through the ova duct, 
and is cast off. This discharge precedes the escape of the ovum or egg. 
When the egg of the bird first enters the ova duct, it consists of a vitellus 



ORIGIN OP LIFE. 
Fig. 241. 



411 













Ovary of the Hen. 

or yolk, with a white opake spot on its surrace, containing the female cell 
germ. During its passage through the middle third of the ova duct, there 
is superadded to it a layer of white albuminous matter, and finally, in the 
lower third of the ova duct, or limy film, called the shell. These sub- 
stances are secreted from the lining surface of the ova duct. The egg of 
the bird can only be impregnated after it has burst the ova sac, from which 
it escapes, and while passing through the upper third of the ova duct, or 
before the white albuminous layer and the shell have enclosed the yolk, 
preventing a union between the male and female cell germs. The power 



412 ORIGIN OF LIFE. 

to produce eggs is independent, and peculiar to the female organ alone, 
and has no dependence or relation to the male. But unless the eggs so 
formed by the female organs are impregnated by the union of the male 
and female cell germs at the proper time, the eggs of the female are in- 
capable of undergoing the process of incubation or hatching. As soon as 
the egg of the bird has been impregnated, the male and female cell germs 
form an embryonic cell, or rudiment of a new animal. The embryo s on 
increases in size, being supplied with nourishment from the contents of 
the egg, (as seen in fig. 241,) until it becomes so large that it bursts open 
the shell, and escapes. It usually requires a period of from nineteen to 
twenty-three days to complete the process of incubation in the eggs of the 
common domestic fowl ! All that is required to carry on this process to 
a successful conclusion after the exercise of the function of impregnation, 
or the union of the male and female cell germs, is the presence of atmo- 
spheric air, and a temperature equal to from seventy-one to seventy-three 
degrees of heat ! This may be supplied by the usual heat of the female, 
or by artificial means, as seen in the operation of an eccolobian, or an ap_ 
paratus for hatching eggs by artificial heat ! 

Origin of Vegetable Life. 

All of the various forms of vegetable life also originate in a simple cell 
germ, As already seen in the conferva and yeast plant, (figs. 238 and 239,) 
each simple cell entering into the formation of these vegetable parasites is 
capable of reproducing many others, with great rapidity, and so multiplying 
and extending themselves in every direction. But in the more highly organi- 
zed and perfect plants and vegetables, as in the higher orders of animals, 
only certain parts of their bodies are capable of producing reproductive cell 
germs. These parts, of the plant or vegetable are called its organs of re- 
production. In many vegetables these organs are closely united together, 
as seen in the common morning glory, or convolvulus, while in others they 
are found upon the same plant, but at a distance from each other, as seen 
in common indian corn ; and in others, such as the hop, strawberry &c, 
they are found in different plants, as seen in all of the highest forms of ani- 
mals. The male organs of plants are called the stamen, and the female organ 
the germarium or vegetable womb. In the common yellow lily, or the 
" morning glory," as seen in the accompanying illustration, the stamens are 
surmounted with anthers which produce a yellow fructifying dust called 
the pollen. When carefully examined the pollen is found to be composed 
of great multitudes of male cell germs ! At the foot of the blossoms may 
be seen the womb of the plant, or the germarium, containing numerous 
seed germs enclosed in rudimentary seeds. A trumpet shaped tube called 



ORIGIN OF LIFE. 



413 



the style,. at pistil extends upwards from Fig. 241. 

the cavity of the germarium. As soon as 

this plant has become fully and perfectly 

developed, the male organs, or stamens cast 

off from their anthers the yellow dust call- 
ed the pollen, which falls into the open ex- 
tremity of the pistil, and its minute cell 

germs pass down through its cavity into 

the womb of the plant, and entering, the 

rudimentary seeds come in contact with 

the female cell germs, with which they 

unite, forming an emhryo, or rudimentary 

plant. As soon as an embryo has been 

formed, the seed is said to be impregnated, 

and rendered susceptible of germination. 

If the pistil is removed from the flower 

be/ore impregnation takes place, each seed 

will wither and decay or be " blasted." As 

soon as impregnation has been completed, 

all of the nutritive juices of the plant, 

will be concentrated upon the germarium for the formation of a highly 
nutritious substance, called the flower of the seed, required for the 
nourishment of the young and tender embryo during the earliest stages 
of germination, when the seed is planted in the earth. As soon as impreg- 
nation has been completed, the plant begins to wither and decay, it has 
completed the last act in the simple drama of its existence, and yields up 
all of its nourishing juices for the continuation of its species, and its leaves 
begin to turn yellow, its petals wither and decay, and it exhausts itself 
and yields up its existence for the continuation of its species. The same is 
true of many of the infusoria, and lower forms of animal life. As seen in 
the volvox, when new cells form within the body of the old ones, the old 
ones burst open and die, (see fig. 237.) In fact, there is no function man- 
ifested by animals or plants so weakening and exhausting, as that of pro- 
creation. Had not the all-wise Creator endowed all of the lower animals 
with the strongest instinctive love of offspring, their species would soon 
cease to exist ! 




The Organs of Reproduction, in the Morn- 
ing Glory. 



27 



414 



ORIGIN OP HUMAN LIFE. 




LECTURE XXXVII. 



OEIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 



The human species, like all of the lower animals, hegins its existence in 
a simple cell germ. The human female organs of generation, are situated 
within the cavity of the pelvis, (see fig. 223,) and are attached to the womb 
on each side. These organs are almond shaped, and about the size of the 
end of the thumb, and are called the ovaries. At birth they are quite 
small, and exist only in a rudimentary condition. When the human female 
arrives at the age of puberty, they enlarge, and begin to form the human 
ova. or eggs, as seen in fig. 233. 

The ova, or eggs of the human female gradually increase in size, until 
they finally burst open the little bags, or ova sacs which contain them. 
"When these little sacs are ruptured by the growth of the ovum, there is 
usually considerable hemorrhage, or bleeding from the ruptured sac, which 
escapes down through the Fallopian tube into the cavity of the womb, and 
is there mixed with mucus and other secretions, forming what is called the 
menstrual, or monthly flow. This varies in amount, extent and time, in 
different women. In some the discharge is very slight, while in others it 
reaches three or four ounces. In some the discharge lasts three or four days, 
while in others it lasts but one or two. This function is not confined to 
the human species, but is common to all of the vertebrated animals. It 
usually commences in this country at the average age of fifteen, and lasts 
until the age of forty-five. When menstruation manifests itself, it always 
indicates that an ovum, or an egg has formed, and has burst open the ova 

sac, causing excitement and congestion of the 
ovaries, with slight hemorrhage or loss of 
blood. This discharge precedes the escape of 
the ovum. As soon as the ovum escapes from 
the cavity of the ova sac, which contains it, the 
sac contractsand heals, and menstruation ceases. 
When this contracted ova sac heals, it forms a 
white scar called a corpus luteum. 

The human egg is about the size of a millet 
seed, and when examined carefully by a mag- 
nifying glass, it is found to resemble the egg of 
a bird, only it is much smaller, and wants the 



Fig. 242. 




Human Ovum, magnified 85 diam- 
eters, a Vitelline membrane, b Vit- 
ellus. c Germ CelL d Cell Germ. 



ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 



415 



calcareous film called the shell, as seen in fig. 242, highly magnified. It is 
surrounded with a thin and delicate skin, and contains a white layer of 
albuminous matter, called the "zona pellucida" 
enclosing a vitellus, or yolk, composed of granular 



matter, and 



the human female cell 



germ. When ruptured, as seen 



th( 



accom- 
panying illustration, and the contents are dis- 
charged, the female reproductive cell germ may 
be seen escaping, surrounded by the granular sub- 
stance of the vitellus, or yolk. The female re- 
productive cell germ is exceedingly minute, being 
so small that it is estimated that many millions 
of them might be contained in a single drop of 
water. 

The male seminal principle is formed by the 
testes, or male organs of reproduction. These 
organs are situated in the cavity of the scrotum. 
They are composed of great multi- 
tudes of blood-vessels, nerves and 
convoluted tubes, called seminal 
ducts, as seen in the accompanying 
illustration. At birth these organs 
are quite small, existing only in a 
rudimentary condition. At the age 
of puberty they rapidly increase in 
size, and take a new action. They re- 
ceive large quantities of blood, being 
among the most vascular of all of 
the organs of the body. Out of the 
large supply of blood which they 
receive, they secrete the seminal 
fluid. When this fluid is first se- 
creted, by the testes, it contains nu- 
merous minute round cells, called 
cells of evolution. When examined, 
these little cells are found to contain 
a number of male cell germs in the 
process of formation. When first 
formed in the testes the semen con- 
tains no male cell germs, and is in- 
capable of impregnating the ovum 3 




Human Ovum, ruptured by 
pressure showing the Vitellus 
partially expelled, the Cell 
Germs at a, and the smooth 
fracture of the Vitelline mem- 
brane. 




Vertical Section of the Testes. 1, Vas deferens. 
2, Spermatic Artery. 3, Vas Aberrans. 4, Body 
of Epididymis. 5, Globus Minor. 6, Rete Testis. 
7, Mediastinum. 8, Vasa Recta. 10, Tunica Vagi- 
nalis. 13. Tunica Albuginea. 9, Its Septa. 11, 
Vasa Efferentia. 12, Globus Major. 14, 14, etc., 
Lobuli. 




416 ORIGIN OP HUMAN LIFE 

but while it is passing through the long convoluted tubes, or seminal ducts, 
they are formed by the cells of evolution. The seminal principle is only 
perfectly elaborated, or fully formed after it reaches the seminal vesicles, 
beneath the bladder, as seen in fig. 204. The seminal ducts originate in 
the anterior portion of the testes, and unite together near the posterior part 
of these organs, forming what is called the epididymis. These ducts when 
carefully dissected, unfolded and measured, are found to reach the enor- 
mous length of from six to seven hundred feet. While the semen is slowly 
passing along through this long spiral tube it is fully elaborated, and ren- 
dered capable of impregnating the ovum of the human female. When the 
Fig 245 semen is removed from the seminal vesicles, be- 

neath the human bladder, and examined, it is found 
to contain multitudes of peculiar shaped bodies, 
seen in the accompanying illustration, called male 
cell germs. They consist of a body having a long 
vibrating filament attached to it, which is in con- 
stant motion during life. When first discovered, 
they were thought to be minute animals endowed 
with a distinct existence, and called spermatozoa! 
Male Cell Germs found in the They are now known to be only living animal cell 

Semen in the Seminal Vesicles. -i v n .• o • . 

germs, having a peculiar formation tor an import- 
ant purpose. When examined in fresh specimens, their caudal extremi- 
ties, or vibrating filaments, are in constant motion, causing them to move 
continually though the fluid contents of the semen. 

Impregnation. 

The human ovum is formed as often as once in about twenty-eight days, 
while that of the bird is formed as often as once in twenty-four hours. In 
certain seasons or conditions of health they are formed more frequently 
than at other times, and these seasons are called the seasons of reproduction. 
The ovum cannot be impregnated before it is formed, nor after it has es- 
caped from the organs of reproduction. As soon as the human ovum has 
by its enlargement ruptured the ova sac, and while it is in the act of pas- 
sing down through the Fallopian tube into the womb, or passing through 
that organ, it may be impregnated. This period varies in different women. 
The escape of the ovum through the organs of reproduction is usually pre- 
ceded by the menstrual discharge, though not always. It is true that men- 
struation never takes place without the formation and escape of an ovum, 
but it cannot be said with equal truth that an egg has not formed and will 
not be cast off because there has been no menstruation preceding it. As 
before mentioned, the amount of menstrual discharge depends upon cir- 



ORIGIN OP HUMAN LIFE. 



417 



cumstances. During the period of nursing or when in delicate health, the 
menstrual discharge is often so slight as not to attract attention , and it is 
not uncommon for females to become pregnant while nursing, before the 
re-establishment of menstruation. It is doubtless • true that impregnation 
usually takes place soon after menstruation, especially in women who are 
in good health, and who menstruate with regularity. Being pregnant, it 
is usual for a woman to estimate the time of her confinement, to take place 
in nine months from the time of her conception. In doing so, she com- 
mences to count the time two weeks after she ceased to menstruate for the 
last time. If it is a first conception confinement will take place a few days 
sooner than if she has borne several children. 

The escape of the periodical, or menstrual discharge, in delicate women 
is the cause of considerable debility. It is an exhausting waste or drain- 
age from the system, rendering it necessary for many delicate women to 
remain quiet, and in retirement for a few days while she is unwell, or has 
her monthly illness. After menstruation, according to the Jewish law, 
five days are to be devoted to purification, and during this period it is 
unlawful to procreate. At the end of five days reaction will have taken 
place, the usual illness, or debility will have disappeared, and that period 
which is called the period heat in the lower animals appears. It is well 
known that all domestic animals can only conceive during this particular 
season ! 

The male seminal principle being deposited within the vagina of the 
female, see fig. 233, the cell germs by virtue of their long vibrating fila- 



ments move upwards along the moist 
surface of the mucous membrane, cov- 
ered with mucus, entering the open 
mouth of the womb, and ascending 
through its cavity, they finally pene- 
trate the Fallopian tubes, and if they 
do not encounter an ovum they soon 
perish, and impregnation does not take 
place ; but if they do encounter an egg 
in its passage down through the Fallo- 
pian tubes, then they unite with its 
cell germ, forming an embryonic cell, 
or rudiment of a new human being, 
partaking of the nature of the male 
andthefemaleproducing these germs. 
As soon as the egg of the female 
has been impregnated, after the ova 



Fig. 246. 




Impregnated Egg entering the Womb, and 
encountering the Decidua, forming for itself 
a nest. 



418 ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 

sac has been ruptured, while resting upon the ovary, or in the act of pas- 
sing down through the Fallopian tubes into the womb, the cavity of this 
organ is fitted and prepared for its reception. 

The lining surface of the womb secretes an organizable fluid, which is 
soon formed into a thick, strong membrane or skin, called the decidua, and 
when the impregnated egg comes down through the Fallopian tube into 
the womb, it encounters this membrane, (as seen in fig. 246.) Pressing 
against this membrane, the egg soon forms an indentation or nest, and is 
retained in the cavity of the womb until gestation has been completed. 
In the virgin female, the human egg, when it comes into the womb, en- 
counters no obstacle to its free passage through the womb. It is only 
after impregnation takes place, while the egg is in the Fallopian tube, 
that the decidua, or false membrane is formed to prevent its escape. 
Sterility, or Barrenness. 
Sterility may be produced by a variety of causes, some of which depend 
upon the male, and some upon the female. The cause of sterility in many 
instances, may be easily understood, while in others it is more obscure. 
When the female does not menstruate, it is evident that the ova are not 
formed, and hence conception does not take place. In other instances, the 
ovum or egg forms with regularity once in twenty-eight days, and its es- 
cape is preceded by painful and difficult menstruation, caused by stricture 
of the cavity of the neck of the womb. When the cavity of the neck of 
the womb becomes obstructed or contracted, the menstrual discharge es- 
capes with extreme difficulty, causing intense pain. This constriction also 
prevents the male cell germs from penetrating the cavity of the womb, and 
uniting with those of the female, and effecting impregnation. In other 
instances, sterility depends upon disease of the mucous membrane lining 
the cavity of the neck of the womb, causing the secretion of sour, acrid 
mucus, (intra uterine leucorrhcea,) which destroys the vitality of the male 
cell germs. These little germs are so exceedingly delicate, that they are 
very easily destroyed by cold or acid fluids, as shown by experiment. A 
few drops of vinegar and water, or cold water, causes their vibrating fila- 
ments to cease their motions almost instantly. 

Again, sterility may depend upon the male, and be caused by imperfectly 
elaborated semen. When examined, the semen is found to be dead, con- 
taining no male cell germs, and hence, incapable of fertilizing the ovum 
of the female. Imperfection of the semen in the male is often caused by 
sexual excesses, especially in early life, and by other indiscretions and dis- 
eases. It is also often caused by premature old age, and impotency. But 
by far the most common cause of sterility is temperamental incompatibility. 
When persons of the same temperament marry, they are generally sterile 



ORIGIN OP HUMAN LIFE. 



419 



Fig. 247. 



or barren. Such unions infringe upon the natural organic law ; and to 
prevent injury and deterioration of the human species, the Creator im- 
poses the condition of sterility. It often happens, that when either of the 
parties die, or when divorce takes place, and new and appropriate mar- 
riages are contracted, one or both proved capable of exercising the func- 
tions of procreation. Many historical in- 
stances might be mentioned to show the 
operation of this organic law of reproduc- 
tion. Ain^ng others the marriage of 
Napoleon and Josephine. 

Cure of Sterility. 
When caused by temperamental incom- 
patibility, there is no cure but divorce. 
But when induced by stricture or contrac- 
tion of the cavity of the neck of the womb, 
it may be dilated, and the cause removed, 
by proper surgical treatment. When caused 
by disease of the cavity of the neck of the 
womb, and the secretion of an acid mucus 
discharge, this disease may be removed by 
the use of alkaline injections once or twice 
a day, and astringent tonic remedies taken 
internally. A large proportion of the causes 
of sterility are capable of being removed, 
when treated appropriately, and in accor- 
dance with the latest investigations and dis- 
coveries upon this subject. 

Development of the Human Embryo. 
As soon as the human egg has been 
impregnated, the yolk, or vitellus, divides 
itself through the middle into two (a), 
and these in turn soon divide into four (5) 
and the four into' eight, and so on in geom- 
etrical ratio, until the whole egg is formed 
into a great multitude of living animal 
cells (<7), much in the same way when an 
artizan would construct a temple, he first 
goes to the crude clay, and first constructs 
great multitudes of bricks, and then having 
prepared his foundations he places one brick upon another and builds them 




Division of the Yolk into Cells. 



420 



ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 



zation of the human being. 
Fig. 248 




np layer by layer until he finishes his grand and imposing temple. And 
so of the great Master Mechanic, who rules over all things, having by the 
institution of His wonderful laws of animal organization and reproduction, 
divided the yolk of the human ovum into a great multitude of cells, they 
are made to arrange themselves by the side of each other, and unite, form- 
ing a sort of mosaic, or tesselated membrane. At the end of seven or eight 
days there appears upon the surface of this membrane, a dense white cloud 
called the germinal spot, which marks the commencement of the organi- 

At the end of twelve days a groove may be 
seen extending across this spot, in which may 
be seen the rudiment of the brain and spinal 
cord, which are the first organs of the body 
to be formed out of the substance of the egg. 
At first the rudiment of the human body is 
flat like a leaf, but soon after the rudimentary 
brain and spinal cord have been formed, and 
the organs of nutrition commence to be devel- 
oped, it begins to curl up its edges, and soon 
becomes round, forming three cavities, one for 
the brain, another for the heart and lungs, and 
another for the organs of nutrition. At the 
end of fifteen days the embryo looks like a 
common grub or worm, having only a head and body, but soon after small 
wart like excrescences indicate the commencement of the formation of the 
arms, then the lower end bifurcates like the tail of a fish into two parts, 
Fig. 249. which gradually extending themselves form the 

lower extremities, as seen in the accompanying 
illustration, representing the appearance of the 
human embryo at fifteen days after conception. 
The covering of the egg is opened so as to . 
bring the foetus, or rudimentary human being 
into view. The foetus grows and gradually in- 
creases in size at this early and interesting per- 
iod of its life, not by food supplied by its 
mother, for it is not yet attached to the inside 
Foetes about the size of a kernel of of the womb, but like the young bird during 
wheat - the process of incubation, or hatching, it sub- 

sists from and is" developed out of the substance of the egg. At a later per- 
iod as will be seen, blood vessels are sent out from from the funis, or navel 
of the child, and it is attached to the inside of the womb, and draws a 
large supply of blood directly from the mother. But this connection is 
not completed until the beginning of the fourth month after conception. 



The Human Egg 12 days after 
Impregnation. Formation of the 
Germinal Spot and Groove for the 
development of the Spinal Cord. 




Egg 15 days after Impregnation. 



ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 



421 




The Ovum and contents at the end 
of three weeks. 



The growth and gradual improvement of the foetus is well illustrated 
in the accompanying illustration, exhibiting y ia £50. 

the human ovum and its contents at the end 
of three weeks, twenty-one days. At this 
early period it is impossible to distinguish 
it from the foetus of many of the lower 
animals, or to determine to what species it 
really belongs. Carpenter and other late 
authorities assure us, that the brain and ner- 
vous system of the human species at first 
resembles that of the lowest forms of ani- 
mal life, consisting of a single ganglia, and 
a thread like appendage located in a groove 
upon the surface of the germinal spot. The 
number of ganglia and nerves are soon in- 
creased, and become more complicated as 
the foetus improves in development, and resembles that of the larva, or 
maggot, then the insect, and finally passes through all of the various grad- 
ations and stages of development, until it surpasses that of the highest 
orders of animals, and when fully formed, excelling them all in magnitude 
and perfection, becomes the brain of a human being. 

At the end of six weeks, or forty-two days, the arms become elongated 
until they extend to the hands, and the legs below the knee, but there are 
no hands or feet yet to be seen. 
The vitellus, or food bag, is large 
and prominent, as will be noticed 
in the accompanying illustration, 
representing the human ovum 
and its contents, about the size 
of life at the end ol six weeks. 
When the human foetus 
reaches the age of two months, 
or sixty days, the. arms, hands 
and fingers, and the legs, feet and 
toes have been formed, the head 
and face have enlarged and im- 
proved so that the human feat- 
ures may be seen and distinctly 

recognized, and the sex determi- The ° Yum and content8 at tho end of 8ix weeks - 
ned. The vitellus, or food bag, is also seen firmly attached to the funis, 
or navel, through which the foetus obtains its nourishment. This impor- 



Fig 




422 



ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 

252. 




Foetus at Two Months. 



tant appendage gradually de- 
creases in size as its contents 
are required and consumed for 
the development of the child. 
It was long the opinion of phy- 
siologists, that inasmuch as the 
supply of nutriment contained 
in the vitellus was very limited, 
that the foetus must absorb nu- 
triment during the earlier period 
of its existence, from the fluid 
contained in the amnion , Or bag 
of water surrounding it, but 
chemical analysis shows that 
this fluid contains little or no 
materials capable of supplying 
nourishment for the growth of the foetus, and it is now known, that its 
principal supply of food must be derived from the contents of the vitellus. 
The vitellus gradually decreases in size as the nourishment contained in it 
is consumed for the development of the foetus, when it withers and disap- 
pears. In the mean time, a new supply of nourishment is secured by the 
gradual formation of the placental cord, composed of blood vessels con- 
nected with the principal blood vessels and heart of the foetus, extending 
through the navel until they reach the inside of the womb, when they 
spread out like the roots of a tree, or vine, firming the placenta, or after 
birth. In fig. 253 the ovum and its contents are represented of the size 
of life at the end of three months. The ovum is now composed of three 
skins, or coats, the outside ones covered with numerous villosities, are opened 
and turned aside, exhibiting the internal membrane like a vial, or bag, 
called the amnion. This bag is filled with a fluid called the liquor amni, 
or waters in which the foetus floats, so that it does not touch the inside of 
the womb. In this way it is most perfectly protected from the injurious 
effects of blows, shocks and jars, which might otherwise be communicated 
to it, causing most serious deformites, or perhaps its entire destruction. 
Some physiologists are of the opinion that when the liquor amni is defi- 
cient in quantity, and the delicate and impressible foetus is not protected 
from the injurious effects of concussions, resulting from blows, or other 
accidental injury, crooked feet, fissure of the lip, palate, and other deform- 
ities are produced 

Nutrition of the Fostus. 
As already shown, the foetus, or young child, is nourished during the 



ORIGIN OP HUMAN LIFE. 
Fig. 253. 



423 




Foetus at the end of three months, enclosed in the Amnion or Caul. 



first four months by the vitellus, or food bag, seen in fig. 252. At the end 
of the third month blood vessels may be seen extending from the funis, or 
navel, along the alantois, like a vine upon a trellis. These vessels soon 
reach the inside of the womb, and having united with it absorb blood from 
the mother. These blood vessels form the cord, and their expansion and 
attachment to the inside of the womb is called the placenta, or " after birth/' 
They are appendag'es of the child, and act like the roots of a vine or tree, 
enabling the child to absorb nourishment from the blood of its mother. 
As soon as this connection between the mother and her child has been 
fully established, quickening takes place, and the motions of the child may 
be discerned by the mother. At first its sources of nourishment are very 
precarious and limited, being supplied by the contents of the little sac 
called the vitellus. As soon as it begins to receive its mother's blood it 
sources of nourishment being greatly improved, it grows with much greater 



424 



ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 



Fiq. 254. 




rapidity, doubling its size 
and weight every thirty 
days until fully developed 
at the end of nine months. 
The human ovum, or 
egg being impregnated by 
the male principle is vit- 
alized. The male and fe- 
male cell germs uniting 
form at once an embryo, 
or living rudimentary hu- 
man being. To destroy 
the life of this living em- 
bryo, is as much murder 
as it is to destroy the life 
of a human being at any 
time afterwards. From 
the moment the egg is 
impregnated it becomes 
vitalized! The author 
dwells with much empha- 
gis upon this part of the 
subject, as there are so 
many loose and immoral 



prevaili 



ing among, 



intelligent people, 



ideas 

even *~—" 

Cavity of the Womb nearly filled with the Orum ; h, the upon it and because many 
Vitellua ; g, Formation of the Cord and the Placenta. , ■, V ;™!~« 

may sin through ignor- 
ance. Foeticide, or murder of the foetus, ifl one of the most common 
crimes of the day, because many mistaken ideas prevail as to the nature 
of this crime ! Many well educated people, in all other respects, insist 
upon it, that it is no crime to destroy the ovum and its contents previous 
to the end of three months, or before a connection has been formed be- 
tween the mother and her child, and quickening takes place, followed by 
motion, because, as they say, " it is not living yet," &c The human be- 
ing begins its existence the very moment that conception takes place, and 
no system of reason, morals or religion, can fail to pronounce the act re- 
sulting in its destruction, as anything but murder, and this particular form 
of murder is called foeticide, or murder of the foetus. No fashionable 
convenience, no fear of exposure, no position of society, can justify the 
crime of murder! 



origin of human life. 
The Laws of Hereditary Descent 



425 



It is an old and well established maxim, " like will produce its own like," 
or, " like parents, like children." If both the male and female are blacks, 
the children will always be black. If the mother be a Negro, and the 
father a white man, the child will be mulatto. If the mother be an In- 
dian woman, and the father a white man, the child will be a half breed. 
There is no exception to this law. Color, form, feature, shape, &c, are al- 
ways inherited from the parents. The same is true of all the more common 
diseases, more especially diseases of the blood. Scrofula, consumption, can- 
cer, syphilis, &c, " are visited upon the children down even to the third and 
fourth generation," nor human law, nor human device can break the en- 
tailment These facts are so notorious from common observation, as not 
to require the author to dwell long upon this branch of the subject. 

Not only all of these various diseases of the body, but corresponding 
diseases of the mind and moral nature are inherited by the children from 
their parents. Insanity is a mental condition, caused by disease of the 
brain, and this condition is often inherited. This fact is so well known, 
and its importance so well understood, that when any human being be- 
comes insane previous to marriage, it is considered a fatal bar or ob- 
jection to matrimony. Hopeless insanity is also just ground of divorce 
in any of our courts ! A very large proportion of the insane of to-day, 
have also had insane relatives before them. But again, idiocy is a moral 
condition, and depends upon disease of the brain, and it is also hereditary. 
It is believed, that there is not a single instance on record where idiotic 
parents have begotten intelligent offspring. In numerous instances of births 
occurring in the charitable establishments of Europe, where idiotic per- 
sons of both sexes were formerly associated together, all of the children 
were idiotic, as mentioned by Friedland, Tissault, Combe, and other writers. 
All the qualities of the body, mind, and moral nature, are transmitted by 
parents to their progeny. In many instances, whole families are destroyed 
by pulmonary consumption, wickedly transmitted by ignorant or selfish 
parents, by unwise or injudicious marriages. The same is true of syphilis, 
and other loathsome diseases. It is well known, that this terrible disease 
prevails to an alarming extent in all of our chief cities and towns, and 
that thousands of young men become its victims early in life, and after- 
wards marry and transmit its contaminating virus to their innocent and 
unfortunate posterity. Hereditary syphilis has become one of the most 
common diseases of the present day. Its effects may be seen on every 
hand, in its various modified forms. Many inveterate chronic diseases of 
the skin, enlargement of the glands, ulcerations of the bones, neuralgia, 
rheumatism, pale, white waxy lemon colored, or rusty skins, and cadave- 



426 ORIGIN OP HUMAN LIFE. 

rous expressions, so indicative of premature decay and death, are caused 
by the constitutional effects of this terrible scourge. In fact, this disease, 
and its consequences, have become one of the greatest curses of our modern 
civilization ! When a young man, in fashionable life, has recklessly and 
wickedly violated all the laws of chastity, and contaminated his system 
and vitiated his blood by this terrible disease, proposes to marry some 
gentleman's chaste and beautiful daughter, how rarely the young lady or 
her parents, especially if the gentleman be wealthy, ever stop to inquire 
about the young man's antecedents, his previous course of life, and habits. 
Indeed, very few really understand the nature of this disease, and the fact, 
that when it once becomes constitutional, it is never entirely eradicated 
from the system ! It may be cured for a time, but it will not stay cured. 
It will constantly return in some one of its various forms, until it destroys 
its numerous victims. Rupia, an inveterate disease of the skin, and de- 
pending upon syphilitic contamination of the blood, disfigures the faces 
of thousands of the inhabitants of our chief cities and towns. Look at 
the unhappy inmates of our large charitable establishments, spending the 
evening of their days in the alms-house, broken down with syphilis, rheum- 
atism, or other diseases and infirmities, induced by early indiscretions, or 
sinful and wicked violation of the laws of chastity ! When this disease 
once fastens upon the youthful constitution, there is no remedy to cure it, but 
sackcloth, ashes and death ! I know people talk of cures, and yet every 
day's observation, at the fashionable hour, on the sunny side of any of our 
principal thoroughfares, will show scores of its victims, some of them im- 
poverished and helpless, but others rolling in wealth, whose final reckoning 
has not come, but who cannot escape without expiating the penalty of their 
wicked violation of the laws governing the healthy action of the organs 
of reproduction. That this disease cannot be cured permanently, cannot 
be eradicated from the system, is abundantly proven from the appearance 
of its victims, seen by those who, from professional education and train- 
ing, know what are the causes of their diseases and infirmities. Wise, 
intelligent and humane parents, carefully inquire into and scrutinize the 
character and antecedents of fashionable young men, and assure themselves 
that there is no disease or taint that should forbid marriage with their 
daughters, before they give their consent. If many of our thoughtless, 
giddy, novel reading young ladies, would study more of their own nature, 
and less of useless literature, more of their relations to posterity than 
fashion, and exercise thought, reason and judgment in their marriage re- 
lations, there would be fewer unhappy families, and far less misery and 
suffering in the world ! 

The physical, mental, and moral qualities of the parents at the time of 



ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 427 

impregnation, are stamped upon the constitution of their offspring, and 
not what they were ten years before, or may become ten years afterwards. 
Not what they were ten years before they had debauched themselves, or 
what they may become ten years after by reformation and change of habits. 
A man may marry in the morning of life, while in perfect health, with an 
active well trained mind, and strong moral feelings, a woman every way 
his own equal in her physical, mental and moral condition, and their first 
child may be perfection ! But by accident or sinful indiscretions, the hus- 
band contracts syphilitic, or other disease that contaminates his blood. In 
this condition a second child is born, with all of the marks of inherited dis- 
ease. The husband now consults some intelligent or skillful physician, 
who prescribes a proper course of treatment, and his system is renovated, 
and at least partially restored to health, when a third child is born, not 
equal to the first, but superior to the second one ! When large families 
of children of the same parents are examined, what a difference in form, 
features, physical, mental and moral condition will be observed. In many 
instances, if the proper inquires could be made, and the exact physical, 
mental and moral condition of the parents at the time when they were pro- 
created could be ascertained, the causes of all these differences could be easily 

determined. 

Intemperance Hereditary. 

The conditions of the body, mind and moral natures temporarily induced 
by intemperance, are inherited by posterity. Numerous facts have been 
collected to prove the truth of this assertion, And first the temporary phy- 
sical condition of the parents at the time of impregnation, will be stamped 
upon their offspring. About thirty-two years ago the Legistature of Mass- 
achusetts, one of the foremost states in this Union, in efforts to improve 
the physical, mental and moral condition of mankind, authorized Dr. S. Gr. 
How, of South Boston, well known throughout the world for his connec- 
tion with the education of the deaf and blind, to visit all of the towns 
in the State, and examine the condition of all the idiots he could dis- 
cover, and report to the Legislature at its next session the causes and cure 
of idiocy. In his exhaustive and admirable report, he asserts that he ex- 
amined the condition of over fourteen hundred idiots, and when the history 
of their parents could be ascertained, discovered the remarkable fact, that 
eleven-twelfths of them had parents not addicted to moderate drinking, but 
who were grossly intemperate, and that their miserable idiotic children had 
the peculiar reeling or staggering walk, and the motions of a man grossly 
intoxicated ! Within the last twenty-eight years while lecturing in many 
parts of the United States, the author has become personally acquainted 
with more than two hundred instances of idiocy traceable to intemperance 



428 ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 

on the part of one or both parents. In Dayton, Ohio, many years ago he 
became acquainted with a family of seven children all idiotic from the same 
cause. <; Like will produce its own like." What right under this law has 
any parent to expect that when he blunts his reason and drowns his senses 
in the circean cup, he can bequeath anything better than his own condition 
to his offspring? The act of procreation is one that involves an awful 
responsibility. The future welfare and happiness of the child depends upon 
the condition of the parents at the time they exercise this function. Grood 
or bad health, temperate or intemperate, virtuous or vicious, moral and 
religious, or immoral and irreligious, all these conditions are inherited by 
posterity. 

How few young men or women about to form partnerships for life, stop 
to inquire of an enlightened mind or a cultivated conscience, whether their 
companions possess all of these noble physical, mental and moral qualities 
which they would desire to see manifested by their children ? In fact 
there is less exercise of reason, religion or common sense in the choice of 
husbands and wives, than in almost any other act of life ! Young ladies 
read novels, then sigh and declare, that "love goes when it is sent!" and 
that " matches are made in heaven," &c. Now the truth is most matches 
are made anywhere but in heaven I They are not even made in accordance 
with reason or common sense. What indeed are the great leading ques- 
tions, which the young man or woman of to-day ask, when selecting part- 
ners for life ? Is it whether they have sound healthy well developed 
bodies ! good strong common sense, with high moral culture ? No in- 
deed 1 The leading question will be, how much money has his or her papa 
got! Not long since, while riding from Portland to Boston, in company 
with a friend, he met a lady with whom he was well acquainted, when he 
inquiringly remarked, why I hear that you are marriedl Yes indeed, says 
the lady! Pray tell who you married. Well says she I married $40,000, 
and Jo — what is his name ? I forget ! Do you ask why the children of 
some of our great men have not been great like their fathers, then it is 
replied, that when great men distinguished for the attainment of the high- 
est and the noblest qualities of body and mind, have married great fools, 
for fashionable or pecuniary considerations, their children have been fools 
like their mothers ; but when great and good men marry corresponding 
women, their children will inherit the best qualities of body and mindl 
Many instances could be mentioned to prove the truth of this assertion, 
and its great practical importance. John Adams married a woman of strong 
common sense, and of more than ordinary culture in her day, and she be- 
came the mother of John Quincy Adams. This gentleman also married 
a superior woman, and she became the mother of Charles Francis Adams, 









ORIGIN OF HITMAN LIFE. 429 

who intermarried a superior woman, and she became the mother of John 
Quincy Adams, Jr. ! Here we see all of the noble, moral, physical and 
mental traits of this distinguished family, handed down through four gen- 
erations unimpaired to the latest posterity ! Did not the author remem- 
ber the maxim, tread lightly upon the ashes of the dead, he could tell the 
reader how some of our most illustrious public men have stooped to marry 
for fashionable or pecuniary considerations, women of inferior physical, 
mental and moral qualities, and who have alas ! only become parents of de- 
generate sons, who have lived only that they might cast disgrace and 
reproach upon the name and fame of their fathers. 

If the laws of hereditary descent were better studied and understood 
by all men and women, what additional incentives they would afford to the 
cultivation of virtue and repression of vice. If these laws were studied 
and understood, they would teach the victims of a foolish fashionable and 
vicious life, that by the violation of these natural organic laws of their own 
physical organization, they would bring pain, disease and premature death 
upon themselves as & just punishment, and also bequeath to their own inno- 
cent children, disease and infirmities to curse and embitter their existence. 
When such false and foolish parents are dead and buried, their miserable 
and unhappy children, tortured with pain and disease bequeathed to them, 
remembering the authors of all their woes, will shriek out a fearful 
curse upon their memory. Shall it be said that the human female has be- 
come so absorbed in fashionable follies, so recusant to maternal duties, so 
degenerate, that she has less feeling for her progeny than the inferior animals I 
Approach the nest of the eagle, or the den of the lioness, for the destruction 
of their young ones, and see how quickly they will come forth to do battle, 
and die in defense of their progeny ! But again, the qualities of the fe- 
males of all animals are transmitted in larger proportion than males. All 
of the best authorities, who have experimented for the improvement of 
the lower animals, assure us that about two-thirds of the good or bad 
qualities of the common progeny are derived from the female, and only 
one-third from the male ! The same rule will usually be found to prevail 
in the human species. It will sometimes be noticed that when a well de- 
veloped man marries some pale little delicate woman, a piece of animated 
wax work, a sort of wax doll, or parlor ornament, all of their children, in- 
heriting two-thirds of their mental, moral and physical constitution from 
their mother, will be inferior. Again, when a broad-chested well devel- 
oped woman marries a pale, sickly and delicate man, nearly all of their 
children will be superior. It is woman far more than man that determines 
the condition of a common posterity, and with the possession of this power 
over the future welfare and happiness of mankind, comes increased resporu- 
28 



430 ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 

sibility ! The mother is far more responsible for the physical health, the 
mental and moral qualities of her children than their father. For this 
reason she should be treated with the utmost tenderness, and the highest 
consideration. Every effort should be made for the thorough physical, 
mental and moral training of woman, in order that she maybe prepared to 
exercise her legitimate influence in forming and moulding the character of 
a common posterity! 

What incentives to the cultivation of her physical, mental and moral 
powers ! How certain the reward ! If she studies her own organization, 
and obeys the laws of her own being, she will surely be rewarded in this 
world with health, strength, and long life, and enduring bliss in the world 
to come ! And when at last she is buried beneath the green sod of the 
valley, her grateful posterity will rise up in judgment upon her memory, 
and as they recount her virtues, her true and noble life, and remember 
how much of the health and happiness which they enjoy was inherited 
from their mother, they will plant roses over her grave, and water them 
with tears of grateful recollection ; and when, perchance, they visit her 
tomb in pious veneration, her spirit, in the language of the poet Campbell, 
will return, and sing the melancholy requiem : 

And say, when summoned from the world and thee, 
I lay my head beneath the willow tree, 
Wilt thou, sweet mourner, at my stone appear, 
And soothe my parting spirit, lingering near ; 
Breathe a fond sigh to winds that murmur low, 
And think on all my love, and all my woe ? 

Again, it has long been observed that judicious crossing will improve 
the breed of all domestic animals. Many illustrations might be mentioned 
to prove the truth of this law of reproduction. Common observation 
shows, that the same law holds true in regard to the human species. 
When persons of the same temperament marry, they are almost always 
childless. The children of such unwise and unnatural marriages would 
inherit all the qualities of both parents, and, consequently, great inferiority. 
It is forbidden for first cousins to marry, because, being blood relatives, 
they are usually of the same temperament, and if they have children, 
they are generally inferior. When any one of a pure nervous, bilious, 
lymphatic, or sanguine temperament, marries for a husband or wife, a lady 
one-half their own temperament, their children will be few, and so weak 
and feeble, that they will nearly all die in infancy ! It is only when op- 
posite temperaments marry each other, and there is a wise and most ju- 
dicious crossing, that they are blest with a great number of beautiful 
children, with the finest organizations, and the best constitutions. The 



ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 431 

children of such parents, being robust and vigorous, are much more likely 
to live, and grow up to manhood and womanhood, and attain the highest 
distinction and greatest renown in after life. The importance of observing 
this natural law of healthy reproduction, may be seen in the condition of 
the inhabitants of the different nations in Europe and our own country. 
The people of the North of Ireland, in physical stamina, and also in their 
intellectual and moral "condition, being the descendants of Scotch and 
Irish parents, are vastly superior to those people living in the South of 
Ireland. The people in the North of England superior to the South ; of 
Normandy, in France, superior to those of the South of France; of North- 
ern Italy as compared with the South of Italy. On the borders of different 
countries, when the people of different nations intermarry, their progeny 
exhibit great and striking superiority. The same condition of things 
prevails to a large extent upon the shores of the Hudson river, in our 
own country. Here we see, that when the thin, spare, nervous New Eng- 
lander has married the broad-chested, thick-set, phlegmatic Dutch woman, 
his children exhibit a remarkable and striking superiority ! 

Management of Pregnancy. 

The human female having conceived, every effort should be made to 
promote her welfare, and that of her progeny. Having shown that the 
physical, mental and moral condition of the mother impresses itself upon 
the tender and plastic nature of her unborn child, she should scrupulously 
comply with all those conditions upon which good health depends. And 
first, she should carefully regulate her diet. Plain and nutritious food 
should be supplied, consisting of good stale wheat or corn bread, well 
baked, with rice, sago, farina, or tapioca, fruit, and vegetables well cooked. 
Meat should be used once a day, for most persons, or in place of it, milk, 
fish and eggs. These kinds of food should be eaten moderately, and as 
often as hunger manifests itself. Avoid the use of tea and coffee, keep 
the bowels freely open or regular, by the use of coarse bread or mush, 
cooked fruit, and gentle exercise in the open air. A glass of water, with 
a teaspoonful of common table salt, taken early in the morning, followed 
by gentle exercise/ is a suitable laxative for most pregnant women who 
may require its use. A large portion of her time should be spent in the sun- 
light, and pure open air. The mental faculties and moral feelings should 
be daily exercised, in order that the best physical, mental and moral qual- 
ities may be impressed upon the unborn offspring. 

Much may also be accomplished by diet and other hygienic habits, to 
diminish the pains and danger of child-birth. We are told by many of 
the best authorities upon the subject, that any considerable amount of pain 



432 ORIGIN OF HUMAN LIFE. 

and suffering at child-birth is unnatural, and therefore unnecessary ; and 
common observation, upon those women who live in a state of nature, 
proves this assertion to be true. It has often been noticed, that Indian 
women suffer little or nothing in child-birth. They give birth to their 
children in a few moments, and generally when all alone, and then arise 
at once, wash themselves and children in cold water, dress, and then im- 
mediately commence their usual avocations, as if nothing had taken place. 
The same observation has often been made in regard to the peasantry in 
various countries. It is quite certain, that the more simple and natural 
the human female lives during the period of her gestation, the less pain 
and danger in her confinement, and the shorter time she will be confined 
to her apartments. The course pursued by most women in fashionable or 
highly civilized life, is well calculated to increase the dangers and pains 
of this period; the confined and sedentary habits, the use of gross, stimu- 
lating diet, the use of strong tea and coffee, the constipated habit, the 
general neglect of the daily use of the bath, to diminish nervous irritabil- 
ity, &c, is all well calculated to increase the burdens, pains, and exhaus- 
tion of child-bearing women. Many of these evils can be removed, or at 
least greatly palliated, by careful attention to all the rules of diet and hy- 
giene. Nothing can be more injurious than allowing the bowels at this 
time to become constipated. Tea and coffee often cause constipation. 
They also greatly increase nervous irritability, and increase the tenderness 
and impressibility to pain and suffering at child-birth. Bathe night and 
morning in tepid or cool water, to harden and toughen the system, and to 
diminish nervousness and impressibility to pain. Keep out of doors in 
the sunlight and open air, as a means of strengthening the system, and 
preparing it for the pains and perils of child-birth ! 

As the period of confinement approaches, the diet should largely con- 
sist of loosening or laxative food, such as cooked fruit and vegetables, 
that the system may be relaxed, and child-birth made easy. 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



433 



LECTURE XXXVIII. 

ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

Having described the structure, nature and uses of the organs concerned 
in the formation of the urine and the seminal fluid, it now remains for us 
to consider some of the abuses of the organs of reproduction, resulting 
from want of sufficient information in regard to their true nature, and 
powerful influence upon animal life, as well as the physical, mental and 
moral nature of mankind. As already described, see fig. 244. The Sem- 
inal fluid is formed in the testes, and being collected by numerous spiral, 
or convoluted tubes, called the seminal ducts, it is transmitted to the sacs 
beneath the bladder called the -p IG 255 

seminal vesicles, or bladders. 
At first the seminal fluid is im- 
perfectly elaborated, consisting 
principally of a watery fluid, but 
during its passage through the 
long seminal ducts it gradually 
becomes more highly organized, 
and when it finally reaches the 
seminal vesicles is seen to con- 
tain great numbers of little bod- 
ies, called spermatozoa, or repro- 
ductive cell germs. When the 
semen first reaches the seminal 
vesicles it contains but few cell 
germs. At the end of forty- 
eight hours their numbers have 
greatly increased. These little 
germs are constantly forming 
out of the fluid of the semen, 
by the cells of evolution, and 
when not used for the purposes 
of procreation soon die and dis- 
appear, their places being soon supplied by new ones constantly forming 
out of the organizable materials contained in the fluid of the semen. The 
seminal fluid is one of the most elaborate and highly organizable fluids of 
the human body. It is composed of water holding in solution a large pro- 




View of the Posterior surface of the Bladder. 1 A 
Seminal Vesicle ; 2, the same unravelled ; 3, Vas-Def- 
erens ; 4, Ureters ; 5, Ejaculatory Ducts ; 6, Prostate 
Gland, partly divided, exhibiting the course of the 
Ejaculatory Ducts ; 7, Termination of the Bladder in 
the Urethra. 



434 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

portion of albumen, phosphorus and other important organizable substan- 
ces, and contains great multitudes of living germs, each one of which is 
capable of being formed into a perfect living human being. These little 
germs are so minute that they cannot be seen without the aid of a power- 
ful microscope, and it is estimated that millions of them may be contained 
in a single drop of water, see fig. 245. When we contemplate the fact 
that all mankind, the most powerful, as well as the most humble and insig- 
nificant, the mighty Caesars, and the illustrious Washington, as well as the 
most lowly and humble individual have all had one common origin, and 
that a mere atom or speck of granular matter, so minute that it cannot be 
seen without a glass of great power, it is calculated to fill the human mind 
with amazement and admiration of the wisdom and power of the Creator ! 
Frequent exercise of the reproductive functions, or sexual excesses, are 
unfavorable to procreation. Considerable time is required for perfect elab- 
oration of the seminal fluid. Sexual excesses prevent conception, and are 
a prominent cause of sterility. It is a well known fact that men and wo- 
men abandoned to sinful excesses rarely become parents. It is evident that 
if the exercise of the functions of procreation be the reproduction of the 
species, then the frequent exercise of this function defeats that object! 
According to the experiments and observations of Parise, Friedland, Tis- 
sault, and other distinguished physiologists, the seminal fluid is the most 
vital of all of the fluids of the body. In the language of a late eminent 
authority "it is the only immortal physical principal in man, the only 
substance in the human constitution which has been able to perpetuate 
the human species from the time of Adam to the present day ! " This 
fluid in the lower animals is so highly elaborated, so intensely vitalizing in 
its influence, that according to Spallinzani, when one drop of the semen 
of a fish is dilated in a pint of water and poured upon the ova, or spawn, 
it will impregnate them. According to the experiments of Parise and 
others, the loss of semen is equal in its debilitating and exhausting effects 
to the loss of forty times as much blood. Now, it is estimated, that the 
seminal vesicles beneath the urinary bladder, when filled, will hold about 
one drachm at a time. It follows as a consequence, that when these sem- 
inal vesicles are emptied, during the sexual act, that the debilitating effect 
is equal to the loss of forty drachms, or five ounces of blood. That sexual 
excesses are among the most debilitating and ruinous of all bad habits, is 
well established from common observation. And yet how few persons ap- 
pear to appreciate and understand the ruinous consequences of such indul- 
gences, especially early in life, when such knowledge would be the most 
useful. 

All that takes place during the exercise of the procreative functions, is 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 435 

the expulsion of the seminal fluid, previously formed and accumulated in 
the seminal vesicles. When these organs have been examined in crimi- 
nals soon after death by execution upon the gallows, the seminal vesicles 
have always been found full of seminal fluid. In fact, it is very evident, 
from the slightest thought and consideration, that this fluid could not be 
formed and transmitted through long pipes or tubes reaching six or seven 
hundred feet in length, into the seminal vesicles and then expelled, during 
the short period of time required for the exercise of those functions. In 
certain domestic and other animals, the seminal vesicles are absent, and 
during the sexual act the seminal fluid is formed as it is required, and, 
consequently, a much longer period of time is required for its consumma- 
tion. In certain animals, a period of several hours is required for this 
purpose. In continent animals, when this vital fluid is not required for 
the procreation of the species, and it is not wasted, it is reabsorbed into 
the system, and its vitalizing influences are expending in cultivating, im- 
proving, and strengthening every organ of the body. The absorbents are 
minute vessels seen in all parts of the body. They are especially nume- 
rous upon the seminal vesicles, and about the base of the urinary bladder, 
and organs in the cavity of the pelvis. These vessels are capable of ab- 
sorbing whatever may be brought in contact with them, and pouring it 
into the blood. They absorb the nourishment from our food contained in 
the cavity of the stomach and the intestinal canal, they also absorb poison- 
ous substances from the skin, as often seen in vaccination, or when medical 
substances are applied to its surface, in the form of ointments, liniments, 
and plasters, to allay pain. In syphilitic diseases, the virus is absorbed 
from the surface of the sexual organs, and poured into the blood, and soon 
sent to all parts of the body, carrying disease and death. Many other il- 
lustrations might be mentioned, to show the great activity of these little 
vessels. In all chaste and continent animals, these little vessels absorb the 
semen not required for use to perpetuate the species, and pour it into the 
blood, and it is then soon sent to all parts of the body. 

The powerful influence of this vital seminal fluid, in modifying the 
growth and health of all parts of the body, may be seen in its effects, first 
upon the lower animals, and then upon the human species. It is well 
known, that when all intelligent stock breeders wish to raise the largest 
and most perfect domestic animals, they are all bred in perfect continence. 
The heifer is not allowed to procreate until of full age. The bull is care- 
fully fed and guarded until he is full grown, and perfectly developed. As 
soon as these animals, by great care and skillful treatment, have attained 
full age and perfection, then they are allowed to exercise the functions 
only to a limited extent. It is often said by breeders of the most perfect 



436 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



domestic animals, that if the heifer is allowed to conceive at a young and 
tender age she will stop growing, and never be so large, and so of the bull. 
It is a curious and instructive fact, that all of the most celebrated and val- 
uable breeds of domestic animals have been carefully bred, and reared in 
perfect continence, until they were of full age and perfection, before they 
have been allowed to procreate ; and when any departure from this rule 
is practised, the breed begins to decline ! Dr. Johnson long ago observed, 
that the exercise of the functions of reproduction was debilitating and 
exhaustive in its effects upon the physical constitution, and he has re- 
marked, that for every year the human female marries and becomes a 
mother under the age of twenty, it will shorten her life at least two years. 
Again it has been often noticed by various writers, that the progeny 
of young imperfectly developed, and feeble animals were always inferior, 
and the same law rules in regard to the human species. History affords 
us numerous examples. Newton, Napoleon, Washingtion, Franklin, Jack- 
son, and many of the most distinguished and illustrious benefactors of the 
human race, have been younger sons of large families, born after their 

Fig. 256. 




The Cock. 



ABUSES OP THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



437 



fathers and mothers had attained full age and physical perfection ! But 
again, the influence of this vital seminal fluid upon the domestic animals 
and man, may be seen in the blighting and withering effects of castration. 
When the testes are removed from any of the lower animals, the loss of 
the seminal organs and want of semen, will exert a modifying influence over 
the growth and powers of every organ of the body, the truth of this as- 
sertion may be easily verified by experiments upon the young cock. 

The influence of the seminal fluid upon the bones, muscles, plumage, 
comb, and spurs of the cock, is well shown in the foregoing illustration, 
copied from nature. The bones of the cock are large and strong, with 
numerous well developed surfaces for the attachment of large and power- 
ful muscles. The muscles are large, dense and strong, and the legs are 
armed with long sharp spurs, as a means of defense or attack. The head 
is ornamented with a large, prominent, and beautiful red comb, and the 
larynx, or organ of the voice, is well developed, enabling him to produce 
the peculiar noise called crowing I When bred in continence, and all the 
seminal fluid is retained and absorbed, this animal is the personification of 
courage and endurance ! When at an early period, the same animal is 
castrated, and the seminal organs are destroyed or removed, and no seminal 
fluid is formed to exert its powerful influence in moulding and perfecting 

Fig. 257. 




The Capon. 



438 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

every organ of the body, the result is most striking, as may be seen in 
the examination of the cajoon, as compared with the cock. The bones 
of the capon are long, slim, and delicate, the muscles soft, weak, and 
flabby ; the plumage thin and inferior, while the spurs exist only in a ru- 
dimentary form, or they are entirely wanting ; the comb is deficient, or 
entirely wanting upon the head, and the organ of the voice is only par- 
tially developed, and the capon cannot crow like the cock. It is thus seen, 
at a single glance, that when the seminal organs are destroyed or removed, 
and the seminal fluid is not formed, it will modify and change the whole 
structure and formation of the animal, rendering the bones and muscles 
weak and inferior, and suspending or interrupting the growth of other im- 
portant organs of the body. It also demoralizes or destroys the courage, 
which is such a peculiarly distinguishing trait of this animal. 

The same wonderful changes and modifications of the growth and for- 
mation of all other domestic animals, may be effected by removing or de- 
stroying the seminal organs at an early period ! 

"When the male lamb is bred in perfect continence, and all of the semi- 
nal fluid is retained and expended in the development of the various or- 
gans of his body, he grows large, strong and powerful, and is called a raw. 

Fig. 258. 




The Ram. 



The ram is distinguished for large strong bones and muscles, a broad 
deep chest, and very large and prominent horns, as seen in the above illus- 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



439 



tration, copied from nature. The ram is distinguished for strength and 
courage when compared with the wether. 

Fig. 259. 




The Wether. 

When the male lamb is castrated, and the seminal organs are removed 
or destroyed at an early period, before the male principal or the seminal 
fluid has been formed to round off, and seal and stamp every organ of his 
body with nature's own signet of perfection, he grows up what is called a 
wether. His bones are comparatively long, slim and delicate, his muscles 
smaller and lighter colored, soft and feeble, and the horns are small or 
entirely wanting, and he is timid and feeble ! No difference can be more 
marked or distinct between the sexes than those between the ram and wether. 
In fact the removal of these genital organs at an early age completely unsexes 
the animal, and changes his whole nature and appearance, as seen in the 
above illustration, copied from nature, representing the wether. Nothing 
can be more striking than the difference exhibited by these two animals, 
and yet it all depends upon the influence of the seminal fluid in the one, 
and its absence in the other. The amount of wool produced by the wether 
is fully one-third less than the quantity produced by the ram ! 

Again, when we examine and compare the bull and the ox with each other, 
the influence of the seminal fluid in modifying the growth, and in changing 
the whole character and disposition of animals, will be still more striking. 

When the male calf is carefully bred and raised in perfect continence, 
not being allowed to exercise the procreative functions, and all of the semen 
being retained, to strengthen, develop and perfect all of the organs of his 



440 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



body until he is of full age and perfection, he will grow up a large, pow- 
erful and beautiful animal, as may be seen in the following illustration, 
photographed and copied from nature. 
Fig. 260. 




The bones of the bull 
are large and strong, 
with numerous rough 
uneven surfaces for the 
attachment of large and 
powerful muscles. The 
chest is broad and deep, 
and lungs large and 
strong, the head is broad 
and the eyes are full, the 
horns thick, sharp and 
strong, the larynx, or 
organ of the voice, is 
large and powerful, and 
the voice is loud, strong 
and superior to the 
voice of the ox. The 
bull bellows, but the ox 
The Bun. cannot, his vocal organs 

being impaired by castration! 

When the male calf is castrated at an early period, or before the semi- 
nal fluid has been formed and exerted its peculiar perfecting influence over 
the growth and condition of all of the different parts and organs of the 
animal, the bones become long, slim and delicate, the muscles lighter col- 
ored, soft, feeble and flabby, and the chest narrow and thin, the lungs 
feeble and delicate, the neck thin, the horns long, slim and feeble, the eyes 
hollow and sunken, the larynx small and the voice inferior, as seen in the 
following illustration, photographed and copied from nature. 

What a striking contrast is exhibited by the lean, thin and cowardly 
ox as compared with the bull. What an overwhelming manifestation of 
the powerful influence of the seminal fluid when retained to strengthen 
and develop the bones, muscles, chest, lungs, neck, head, horns. The bull 
is the personification of courage and power, while the miserable ox is so 
feeble and timid as often to be frightened at his own shadow. 

The sexual law of development may often be witnessed in .the human 
species. When the seminal organs are removed or destroyed at an early 
period, before the seminal fluid has been formed and retained to manifest 
its peculiar ennobling influence upon all of the different organs of the human 
body, to strengthen, develop and perfect them ! 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE OBGANS. 
FiG" 261. 



441 







The Ox. 

In certain countries, and for surgical reasons, human beings are some- 
times castrated. When the seminal organs are removed early in life, and 
before the seminal fluid has been formed, to develop and perfect all the 
organs of the body, the consequences may be seen in the physical, 
mental and moral condition of the eunuch I The bones are small and de- 
licate, fragile and brittle ; the muscles pale, soft and feeble ; the chest is 
thin, narrow, and delicate ; the organ of the voice is imperfectly formed, 
and the voice a fine tenor or delicate treble ; and the beard is wanting. 
The size of the body, the strength and power of the muscular organs, the 
depth and breadth of the chest, the size of the lungs and vital organs, the 
capacity of the larynx, tone of the voice, the presence of the beard, all 
depend upon the influence of the seminal principle. Before the age of 
puberty, the larynx or organ of the voice, is small, and imperfectly de- 
veloped, the beard is wanting, and the voice is thin and feeble. But at 
the age of puberty, as soon as the seminal fluid has been formed, and be- 
gins to exert its perfecting influences, the larynx enlarges, the beard appears, 
and the voice changes, and becomes a strong tenor, or a deep bass. In old 
age, when the seminal organs become feeble, and the semen is no longer 
secreted by the testes, the voice becomes feeble and broken. Nothing can 
be better established, than that the tone and quality of the voice depend 
upon the condition of the seminal organs, as may be proved by a great 
variety of facts and illustrations. How few people, suffering with chronic 



442 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

disease of the vocal organs, and partial or total loss of voice, have any 
idea that sexual excesses have any possible influence in producing or per- 
petuating their disease ! Again, the quality and quantity of the beard 
depend upon the condition of the seminal organs, and the influence of the 
seminal fluid in modifying its growth ! Baron Larrey, in his admirable 
Memoirs on Military Surgery, mentions several French soldiers who were 
wounded in battle, having their seminal organs mutilated and destroyed, 
or removed, and says that their beard came out, and their voices changed, 
and became broken and senile, or like the voice of an old man ! How few 
young men, when they survey with mortification their imperials, and vain 
efforts to establish a respectable beard, have any idea that their failure to 
do so has any relation to the condition of the seminal organs, or the in- 
fluence of want of seminal fluid in developing and perfecting the beard ! 
A heavy imperial, and a large and flowing beard, are evidences of vigor- 
ous seminal organs, and of the presence of an abundance of vitalizing 
seminal fluid in the system. No lotion to stimulate the growth of the 
beard, will ever equal that of a chaste and continent life ! How few young 
men appear to understand and appreciate the truth of this maxim. 

But again, the health and strength of the human being will largely de- 
pend upon the condition of the seminal organs, and the influence of the 
seminal fluid upon the bones and muscles. The athletae, gladiators, prize 
fighters, &c, are about the only class of men who have long understood 
and fully appreciated this fact. When out of condition, and not training 
for a prize fight, not caring particularly about their physical condition, 
many of this class of men may be found indulging in every species of vice, 
which undermines the strength, and destroys the physical constitution ! 
But when an engagement has once been formed, and the money put up, 
then there is no more debauchery and sensualism ; no more indulgence in 
seminal losses, or other debilitating habits. They commence at once to 
train themselves in perfect continence ! The rules of all professional 
trainers admit of no seminal losses. If it was once known by the frater- 
nity at any time, that either of the principals to the prize fight had in- 
dulged in sexual losses, all of the betting would go against him ! There 
would be no confidence in his courage, strength or endurance ! 

We read in the scriptures that Samson was the strongest of men ! but 
we are told that on a certain occasion he lost his strength, and the story 
is both chaste and instructive. We are told that Samson, in the vigor of 
his perfect manhood, and rejoicing in great physical power, went in into 
his Delilah, and that she cut off his hair, and that when he came out, his 
strength was gone ! Now this chaste and beautiful story can only be fully 
explained and understood by the aid of the science of sexual physiology ! 



ABUSES OP THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 443 

Fools, unlearned, or ignorant people may ridicule, or even cavil at the 
story. Others may fancy that the strength of Samson did literally reside 
in his hair, and yet the intelligent physiologist will tell you there is no 
strength in the hairs, and that they have no possible connection with the 
brain or muscles. Neither blood vessels or nerves have ever been traced 
into them. They grow from the papillae at the bottom of the hair follicles 
of the skin, (see fig. 179.) It is simply absurd to suppose that Samson's 
strength resided literally in his hair ! There is a far better explanation 
of the story, which the sad experience of many a modern Samson can 
give ; for, alas ! there are many Delilahs of the present day, and many 
young Samsons who have lost their strength ! There is one consolation 
which many sensualists may derive from the conclusion of this instructive 
story, and it is this, when Samson staid away from his Delilah long enough 
for his hair to grow out again, his strength returned. Cultivate and prac- 
tise a chaste and continent life, and abstain from wicked, unchaste, and 
sensual indulgences, and strength will soon return again ! 

How few persons, when they marry in the morning of their lives, and 
the vigor of their manhood, have any adequate idea of the ruinous and 
debilitating effects of sexual excesses ! Even moral and intelligent men 
have no idea that there is any natural law or restraint against sexual in- 
dulgences ! In the opinion of most people, marriage sanctions all indul- 
gence, and breaks down all restraints. Most men have no idea that there 
is any natural law of restraint, and the consequences, as we shall soon see, 
are most disastrous. Instinct teaches all the lower animals to abstain from 
the manifestation of the reproductive act, except at certain seasons, which 
last but a short time, as is well known. Except at this particular season, 
there is no exercise of their reproductive functions, and no waste of the 
seminal fluid ! Instead of animal instinct to guide his conduct, and secure 
his safety and happiness, man has been endowed with the noble gift of 
reason, and the moral sentiments, and unless these are well educated and 
developed, and called into exercise for the government of his conduct, in 
many of his habits, he will be worse than the brute creation. The lower 
animals never indulge in the manifestation of the reproductive functions, 
except for the purpose of the procreation of the species ! The exercise 
of this function is so weakening and debilitating in its effects, so exhaust- 
ing in its consequences, that if the Creator had not implanted within them 
the irresistible love of offspring, and the most ardent desire to reproduce 
their kind, at certain periods, they doubtless would never exercise these 
functions, and the various species of the lower animals would soon cease 
to exist ! Shall it be said that the human being, endowed with reason 
and moral sentiments, is less reasonable in his sexual relations and habits 
than the brute creation ? 



444 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

From what lias already been said in another place, the human female can 
conceive only at a certain period, or season, and if the object of the exer- 
cise of the sexual functions is the procreation of noble and intelligent off- 
spring, to multiply and continue the species, then it is lawful to exercise 
this function at the period when conception is possible, and not at other 
times ! It has been shown at another place, that the frequent exercise of 
this function is unfavorable to conception. I know the absurd doctrine 
has been advocated in some quarters, that the health of the individual de- 
manded the constant and frequent exercise of these functions. Such foolish 
ideas have only to be examined in the light of science and true philosophy 
to show their absurdity. Indeed they are only advocated as a weak and 
impotent excuse for the practice of sensualism, or sexual excesses. No 
animal requires the exercise of the sexunl functions as a means of promo- 
ting or preserving health. On the contrary, all analogy, observation and 
reason prove that the highest perfection, and the most perfect development, 
are attained by the practice of continence! 

Marriage has for itself a higher, a nobler and a more holy object than 
that of the mere procreation of the species, the mental, moral and spiritual 
association of the sexes exerts the most refining and elevating influences 
upon each other, as seen in cultivated and refined society. When con- 
tinuously separated from each other, the effect of this want of associa- 
tion is well marked in the inferior physical, mental and moral condition 
of both the male and female, "It is not good for man or woman to be 
alone." Nothing can be more ennobling and beautiful than the lives 
of married people who thoroughly know themselves, and understand their 
whole nature, and intelligently and understandingly exercise all of their 
proper functions, faculties and powers ! But marriage as an excuse, or as 
a palliation for the practice of unrestrained sensualism, is the perversion of 
this sacred and divine institution to an ignoble and unworthy purpose ! The 
exercise of the procreative functions should never be indulged except for 
the deliberate purpose of conception, and the continuation of the species. 
I know this is reasoning against passion and prejudice, that it is arguing 
against the desires and passions of nearly all mankind, it will not be heeded, 
or the advice followed. No one can be more fully aware of all this than 
the author, and yet he feels that that is not Ms fault or his business, he 
is fully determined to do his duty to mankind. He has examined this sub- 
ject carefully and deliberately for many years, and listened to all of the 
arguments which can be presented on both sides of the question, and he is 
fully determined that he will not pander to sensualists, or palliate, or excuse 
sexual excesses, either in married or in single life ! The time has come to 
speak out the whole truth, upon this most important subject. The only 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 445 

anxiety -which the author has, is to be able to present the truth in chaste 
and appropriate language, whether it pleases the votaries of sensualism or 
not! 

Few persons not connected with the medical profession, or having large 
opportunities for close observation, have any just idea how much misery 
there is in domestic life, which is the result either directly or indirectly of 
sexual excesses. It is certain, that the largest proportion of this misery 
and wretchedness is the result of physiological ignorance. Previous to 
marriage all good, chaste, moral and religious people respect the laws of 
chastity and continence, and yet their health does not suffer or deteriorate. 
But after marriage, many suppose there has been granted a license for in- 
dulgence without limit, that there is no natural law governing the devel- 
opment and maintaining the health of the reproductive organs; no law of 
restraint but the law of capacity, no restraint but that of blind passion ! 
Surely this condition of things is a great misfortune, and the consequences 
most disastrous! 

As already shown, the loss of the seminal fluid is equal in its weakening 
and debilitating effects to the loss of forty times as much blood. Here we 
have an explanation of the secret causes of much of the weakness and debil- 
ity which occurs in domestic life. The debilitating effects, resulting from 
profuse seminal losses, first show themselves upon the blood, which becomes 
thin and poor, causing alarming palpitation of the heart, coldness of the skin 
and extremities, pale, white, sallow complexion, and dull heavy eyes, with 
downcast expression and disinclination to look at the person addressing 
them, inability to fix the eyes upon any object long at a time, great weak- 
ness and prostration of the brain and nervous system. The brain receives 
about one-sixth part of the whole amount of blood in the body, and when 
the blood becomes thin and impoverished, from seminal losses, the brain 
and nerves are among the first organs injured by sexual excesses, causing 
nervous debility, neuralgia, pain and weakness in the back and across the 
loins, wandering aches and pains in different parts of the body, dyspepsia, 
general debility and exhaustion, followed by premature old age and impo- 
tency. The marked effect of seminal losses and sexual excesses are well 
illustrated in the following portrait of a distinguished sensualist, now living 
in a private asylum, utterly broken down and imbecile. Nothing can be 
meaner and more despicable than the face of an old worn out and broken 
down libertine and sensualist. Look at his countenance written all over with 
indelible lines that reveal his character aud former pursuits in life. How 
nature brands his face with the stigma of opprobrium. How she gradually 
disfigures his countenance, as if intent upon destroying all traces of her 
own image, so that she might by and by rise up in judgment and swear she 



446 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



Fig. 262. 



never had made him ! 
How she loosens all 
of his joints, and 
sends tremors along 
his limbs and bends 
his body forward as 
if to bring him down 
upon all fours, or to 
degrade him to the 
low crawling reptile ; 
how she sends pim- 
ples and blotches up- 
on his face, pours 
rheum into his eyes, 
and sends foul spirits 
to inhabit his breath, 
and shreaks as with 
a many tongued 
trumpet from every 
pore of his body, be- 
hold a beast. 

The Sensualist. N ow let US tum 

over an opposite leaf in the history of a man's life, and contemplate an 
opposite extreme. Here we may behold a patriarch whose age of three 
score years and ten seems hardly to have impaired the stock of his vigor, 
his firm step, and his elastic limbs, and his undimmed senses, are so many 
certificates of good conduct, or rather they are orders and titles of nobility 
with which nature honors him for his obedience to her laws. All of the 
organs of his body will reach the end of their existence together. Calmly 
and as a candle burns down in its socket so will he make his exit. 

" Like an old clock worn out by eating time, 
The wheels of weary life at last stand still." 

The reader is now asked to look at the portrait of a chaste and continent 
man, the portrait of a man universally regarded as the greatest intellect 
that the world has ever produced, the portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, 
copied from his great work, his immortal Principia. We are told by Dr. 
Brown, his family physician, that in his last illness, and when on his bed 
of death, Newton declared that he had never lost a single drop of his sem- 
inal fluid in all of his life. A pure chaste and continent man. What an 
example for the young men of our day ! 




ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 



447 



Now let the young man in the vigor of his health, and in the pride of 



his manhood look upon Fig. 263. 

this picture and then 
upon that of the sen- 
sualist, and then make 
up his mind after the 
manner of which he 
desires his own face 
shall be configured ! 
Not only "the heart 
of a man, but the con- 
duct and the habits of 
a man changeth his 
countenance for good 
or evil." Every thought 
every feeling or emo- 
tion, and every passion 
leaves it impression 
upon the human face, 
and if those thoughts, 
feelings, emotions and 
passions are repeated 
sufficiently often, they Sir Isaac Newton - 

will mould the human face to produce a corresponding expression. Any 
one acquainted with the world and human beings under different circum- 
stances, and conditions of life, will from appearance be able at once to de- 
termine much of character, position and habits. It is impossible to deny that 
the face of the courtezan, and its peculiar expression, betrays her awful calling 
at a single glance. Now this is not only true of the miserable and wretched 
woman, but it is also true of a man under the same circumstances ! No 
one endowed with reason and common sense can say that such a life pro- 
motes health or happiness. Indeed it is well known that the average length 
of life of the public ^courtezan is less than seven years. The same course 
of life is even more exhausting and destructive to the vitality of the male 
than the female, and is certain to be followed by premature exhaustion, 
decay, old age and death! Dr. Carpenter in his great work on Compara- 
tive Anatomy and Physiology, asserts that the lower the animal in the 
scale of animal life, the greater the reproductive power, and that the exer- 
cise of the reproductive power is in an inverse ratio to the ability to exer- 
cise the reasoning faculties and the moral sentiments. It is a well known 
fact that many of the most learned and distinguished authors, scholars and 







448 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

poets of ancient and modern times, have manifested but the feeblest poorer 
of reproduction, and left but few descendants to inherit their name and 
fame. Newton, Napoleon, Davy, Washington, Samuel Adams, Jefferson, 
Franklin, Jackson, have left no descendants! A careful examination into 
the private lives of many of our most distinguished modern literary men 
and women will sustain the truth of the assertion of Dr. Carpenter, and 
others. It is believed that this fact will account for the dissatisfaction, 
domestic strife and divorces that has frequently occurred between literary 
men and women when either one of the parties was not engaged in the 
same scientific or literary pursuits. For a man or woman engaged in the 
pursuits of science or literature to marry those not engaged in the same 
occupation is at least imprudent. 

The unfavorable influence of sexual excesses upon the physical powers 
and the exercise of the mental faculties and moral sentiments, was fully 
understood by the fathers of the Christian church. Priests were forbidden 
to marry, and waste their energies in sexual indulgences. The church was 
to be their mistress, and upon the church all of their energies and powers 
were to be expended. It was and is the doctrine of the Catholic Church, 
that a priest without the cares of a family, and without the exhausting and 
enervating exercise of the functions of procreation, could accomplish more 
for the good of the church, and to advance the interests of religion, than 
he could do if he was to marry ; and if we are to trust the teachings of 
science and common observation, this conclusion is inevitable. The author 
is aware that the enemies of celibacy in the priesthood assert that priests 
are unchaste, &c. Doubtless there are bad men in all callings. Even 
some of the angels in heaven sinned and fell, and all mortals may do the 
same thing ; but to say that all of the priesthood are sensualists, is as ab- 
surd as it is untrue I 

Again, sensualism, or sexual excesses, not only weaken the body, in- 
ducing premature decay, exhaustion and death, but it also exerts a corres- 
ponding influence upon the mental faculties and moral sentiments. Our 
charitable establishments contain numerous victims of softening of the 
brain, epilepsy, or falling fits, palsy, and imbecility, brought on by the ex- 
cessive exercise of the sexual passions ! It is often said that such diseases 
are brought on by over work or over excitement or employment of the 
mind. Now over work of the passions is far more injurious and destruc- 
tive in its effects upon the brain and nervous system, than over work or 
excitement of the mind, or overwork of the bones and muscles. 

There are a great many hard working people in this world, who have 
spent all their energies, and earned a great deal of money, but they have 
not invested their hard earnings in state stocks and government bonds, 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 449 

but in live stock ! Many poor men and women have labored bard, and 
exhausted all their energies and powers, not to obey all the injunctions of 
the scriptures, but to obey one, namely, to multiply and replenish the 
earth ! 

Sexual excesses; or sensualism, demoralizes the moral sentiments. Only 
chaste and continent men and women truly and ardently love each other, 
The truth of this assertion may be verified by a great number and variety 
of illustrations. Familiarity begets disgust, and often aversion ! Alas, 
how few appear to understand and appreciate this fact. Previous to mar- 
riage, if the woman understands herself, and knows that perfect chastity 
is the true secret of her wonderful influence over the mind and heart of 
her lover, and scornfully repels all approaches to familiarity, her queenly 
power and influence are triumphant, and cannot be broken ! But if she 
does not fully understand herself, or comprehend that chastity alone is 
the true secret of her wonderful influence, and imprudently permits any 
advances or familiarity, the magic spell is broken, the silken threads of 
love decay, and loose their hold, and her power has departed for ever ! 
The same is true of domestic life. Familiarity breeds contempt! The 
diamond is held in the highest estimation because it is uncommon or 
rare ! Make it as common as the glass pebble, and it would be as value- 
less ! We always seek for those articles of virtue which are rare and un- 
common, and we always pay the highest price for the rarest specimens of 
art and beauty ! And so it is with mankind in all that relates to the sex- 
ual nature ! Excess breeds contempt, often followed by aversion, and 
alas ! too frequently by disgust, and wandering from home I How few 
comprehend and understand the sexual relation, and the true secret of that 
matchless power which the sexes are capable of exercising over each other. 
Sexual excess is the grave of domestic bliss I More quarrels and domestic 
strife, more separations and divorces, have been caused by sexual excesses, 
and the aversion and contempt arising therefrom, than from all other 
causes united together ! Not long since, while lecturing upon this and 
kindred subjects in another part of our country, a distinguished lady, well 
known in the literary circles of our country, observed to the Author, that 
when she had finished her education, and graduated at a fashionable board- 
ing school, for the education of women, that she supposed she knew about 
as much as most women, upon this subject, and that was very little. That 
she soon married a clergyman, and that as she had been taught to "be 
subject unto her husband in all things," she tried to do her duty ! Un- 
fortunately for herself, her husband was as ignorant of the physiological 
laws governing the healthy action of the sexual organs as herself, and the 
consequences were, that being governed in their conduct by blind animal 



450 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

passion alone, and not by reason and the moral sentiments, they committed 
great excesses, followed by the usual results, " we grew irritable, nervous 
and cross to each other, and became wretched and unhappy. Had the 
dyspepsia, followed by nervous debility, neuralgia, and exhaustion!" "Fi- 
nally," says she, " a book written by a well known German author, on 
Chastity, by accident fell into my hands. This book proved our salvation. 
It described to me all of the causes of my irritability, nervousness, ex- 
haustion and wretchedness ! I called my husband to my side, and read 
to him paragraph after paragraph, and it seemed to him a new revelation ! 
He candidly acknowledged that it explained satisfactorily the causes of our 
misery ; and we then and there resolved to live a different life, and it has 
been followed by the happiest results, all of our disease and distress soon 
disappeared !" No matter how good their intentions may be, no man or 
woman can be moral or religious upon subjects which they do not under- 
stand ! By proper physiological education, we must bring all that relates 
to the duty of governing our appetites, passions and propensities, within 
the dominion of conscience ! 

Marriage is an institution designed to bring the sexes into proper relations 
with each other, for mutual improvement of their physical, mental, and 
moral natures, and for the procreation of offspring. When the sexual 
functions are moderately exercised at certain seasons, there will be the 
greatest number of conceptions, and the greatest number of superior chil- 
dren born. As already intimated, sexual excess defeats procreation, and 
brings nothing but debility, premature decay and exhaustion. Procreation 
is always attended with considerable debility, but the amount of perma- 
nent exhaustion will depend upon circumstances within the control of 
human agency. 

Nursing is a great drainage, and this fact is so well understood, that 
probably not a queen or a princess in Europe nurses her own child. Be- 
fore the late war at the South, the children of most of the wealthy planters' 
wives were nursed by colored women. If the male and female are in good 
physical health, the moderate exercise of the functions of procreation will 
not prove a serious injury, but otherwise it will. Formerly it was thought 
that marriage and procreation would prove beneficial and arrest the progress 
of disease, but modern observation and statistics prove the absurdity of 
this conclusion. In consumption, scrofula and debility, the disease is not 
only inherited by the child from the parents, but the disease in the parents 
is also hurried along more rapidly to its fatal termination ! The Author 
is frequently asked this question, " Doctor, dont you think that if my 
daughter should marry and become a mother, her health would improve?" 
Now it is true that the health of some invalids improves after marriage, 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 451 

and the exercise of the functions of maternity, but this is the exception, 
and not the rule. In a large majority of instances, it is the reverse, and 
the health rapidly declines ! 

If we consult the Mosaic law for a guide or rule in regard to this matter, 
we shall be told at menstruation, and for five days after, the woman iswrc- 
clean, and that it is unlawful. Five days are consecrated to purification, 
from that time forward for two weeks, conception may take place, and the 
legitimate exercise of these functions is lawful. At the close of this period 
and during gestation, or pregnancy, it is not lawful according to the doc- 
trine of modern physiologists, if the object be not the gratification of ani- 
mal passion, but the intelligent, premeditated procreation of healthy and 
superior offspring. It would appear from recent investigations, that children 
begotten within the first seven days after menstruation, are usually females, 
and those during the second week after, are usually males. This rule also 
proves true in regard to the domestic animals. If conception takes place 
at the commencement of the period of heat the progeny will be a female, 
and if it takes place towards the close of this period it will be a male. 
Experiments with domestic fowls go far to show that the sex can be deter- 
mined before the birth, and that the sexes can be procreated at will, not 
only among the domestic animals, but also in the human being ! If the 
female is bred to the male when the hen first comes from the nest, the 
chick will be a female, and if impregnation takes place several hours after 
it will be a male ! Why the progeny will be a female if the newly formed 
ovum is impregnated when it first escapes from the ova sac, and a male if 
impregnated while passing down through the ova duct to be cast from the 
organs of reproduction, has not yet been determined. Observation only 
has enabled physiologists to determine this fact, and as it so constantly 
and almost invaribly occurs it must depend upon the operation of some 
mysterious and undiscovered natural law. 

Onanism. 

We come now to the consideration of a subject of great delicacy, which 
the author would like to pass over in silence, but which he feels that it 
would be unwise, as well as unjust and cruel to the rising generation to 
neglect, he alludes to secret or private vice ! Few persons have had so ex- 
tensive a field for observation in regard to this giant evil, which more than 
any other vice threatens the demoralization and ruin of the youth of our 
country. While engaged as public Lecturer and teacher of Anatomy and 
Physiology, during the past twenty-eight years, in most of the prominent 
seminaries, colleges and other institutions of learning, he has had unusual 
opportunities of observing the secret workings of this vice, in gradually 



452 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

undermining the health, and in weakening the mental faculties and low- 
ering the tone of the moral sentiments of the very flower of the youth of 
our country. His large observation and extensive experience in the treat- 
ment of the diseases and infirmities produced by its practice, forces him to 
the inevitable conclusion, that it is the most common or prevalent of all of the 
vices to which mankind are addicted. Its practice is confined to no age, 
sex or condition, but is far more common among the children of wealthy 
and distinguished parents than the poor and humble, for reasons which will 
be easily appreciated and understood. As a rule the children of poor peo- 
ple are fed upon plain and wholesome food, and they are compelled to rise 
early and engage in active employment, while those of the wealthy and 
distinguished classes as a rule are fed upon highly stimulating food, and are 
allowed to rise late. Again, young people of a nervous temperament, and 
of the finest and most sensitive organizations, the most talented and prom- 
ising youth of our land, far more frequently become the victims of this 
debasing passion, than those of inferior organizations, bilious and lymphatic 
temperaments. 

Origin op this Yice. 
This vice invaribly originates in want of sufficient information or phy- 
siological ignorance. While conversing with its numerous victims from 
one extremity of this country to the other, the author has been induced 
to inquire into the private history of some of its most prominent victims, 
and has often been told that their parents were intelligent, respectable and 
wealthy people, that they had tried to do their best to give them a good 
education, and to bring them up respectably, that they had been well in- 
structed upon all subjects, but the nature of their sexual organizations, its 
uses and abuses, &c, and that when they grew up to manhood they felt 
the instincts and passions of a man, without any knowledge or reason to 
guide them in their conduct. Said the son of a prominent clergyman, 
u Doctor, I learned to my sorrow and confusion that ignorance does not pre- 
vent any one from feeling!" A man may be as ignorant as any new-born 
child, of the origin and nature of his sexual passions, and still that will not 
prevent him from experiencing their manifestation within himself, when 
he arrives at the age of puberty, or manhood. With few exceptions, when 
thoroughly enlightened and informed as to the true nature and uses of the 
sexual organization, and the consequences of this abuse, they have at once 
arrested their footsteps and shrunk back with horror at the contemplation 
of their own ruin ! No vice among young men is so easily corrected^ by 
the diffusion of correct information, as that now under consideration. 

General Prevalence of Solitary Vice. 
This abuse of the organs of reproduction prevails to an alarming extent 



ABUSES OP THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 453 

in our colleges, seminaries and other institutions of learning. Indeed these 
institutions are the very hot-beds of this evil, and its general prevalence 
cannot be arrested, except by careful and thorough instruction on the 
part of parents, guardians and teachers. Such instruction and education 
is of vital importance, and all parents, guardians and teachers who do not 
do their duty and thoroughly enlighten all of those young persons under 
their charge, as to the nature of their sexual system, and the vital impor- 
tance of a chaste and pure life, are recreant to their duty, and reponsible 
for the continuation of this vice. Knowledge is to the young person in 
this respect what the compass is in the hands of the mariner, enabling him 
to guide the noble ship through the tempestuous ocean into any port he 
pleases on the opposite side of the globe. So knowledge of the nature and 
uses of the organs of reproduction, as well as the meaning of the sexual 
passions, and the danger of their unrestrained exercise, enables the young 
man to guide his way with safety through the treacherous paths of life, 
and finally to attain honor, distinction and renown among men ! Could 
the natural guardians of youth only look into many of our insane asylums, 
almshouses and states prisons, and inquire of the numerous victims what 
was the secret cause of their ruin, they would surely be alarmed at the 
awful responsibility that rests upon them, and firmly resolve to do their 
duty faithfully to the young and rising generation. Not long since while 
delivering a series of lectures at Auburn, N. Y. the author was informed 
that a large proportion of those prisoners in the insane ward were made 
insane from secret vice or sexual abuse. 

Effects of this Vice upon Health. 
Sexual abuse is the source of great debility and exhaustion. It soon 
impoverishes the blood, by draining out of it many of its most vital con- 
stituents, causing it to become thin and poor. This condition of the blood 
produces violent palpitation of the heart, a rusty, lemon, waxy or dingy 
skin, the face is covered with blotches and pimples, (as seen in figs. 187 
and 188.) When the blood becomes thin and vitiated, from loss of its 
most important and vital elements, it does not nourish the brain and 
nerves, causing great nervous debility, and alarming prostration, with cold, 
clammy skin, covered with cold perspiration, coldness of the extremities, 
chilly feelings, &c. When long continued, this terrible drainage soon 
affects the mind. Memory at first becomes impaired, followed by difficulty 
of concentrating the mind upon any one subject, will be experienced. 
Timidity or bashfulness, loss of animal courage, inability to look any one 
in the face, while conversing, despondent and gloomy feelings, often end- 
ing in suicide, insanity or imbecility. While lecturing at Albany, N. Y., 



454 ABUSES OP THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

a few years ago, the Author knew not less than five persons, graduates of 
Union College, reduced so low intellectually, that they could not engage in 
any kind of business. Not long since, while lecturing at Worcester, Mass. 
he became acquainted with a gentleman who was a classmate of Charles 
Sumner, the distinguished senator from that state, who was reduced so low 
intellectually, from the practice of secret vice, that he could not cast up a 
sum in common addition. Secret vice is one of the most common causes 
of epilepsy, or falling fits, softening of the brain, insanity, and mental and 
moral imbecility. It destroys that lofty courage, and noble bearing, which 
distinguish the great and the good from the mean and the cowardly ! It 
robs the human being of his manhood ! and renders him selfish, mean, de- 
graded and contemptible in his whole physical appearance, as well as in 
his mental manifestations, and his moral conduct ! The Scriptures tell us 
that Onan, in consequence of his self abuse, was cursed by the Creator ! 
And so will be all those unfortunate young men who follow his ignoble ex- 
ample ! 

Spermatorrhea. 

"When the habit of secret vice is acquired and practiced in early life, it 
often causes irritation, congestion, and inflammation of the lining surface 
of the urethra, which frequently extends to the seminal vesicles, beneath 
the bladder, often involving the prostate gland and all of the neighboring 
parts, in the disease. Excessive use is an abuse of any organ. When 
the eyes are used excessively, or abused, they often become irritable, con- 
gested, red and inflamed, causing a free discharge of white gummy matter, 
called mucus. And so when the sexual organs are abused, the delicate 
mucous membrane lining the urethra, or water passage, becomes weak, ir- 
ritable, congested or inflamed, causing the secretion of thin, white glairy 
fluid from its lining surface. When this discharge takes place in the hu- 
man female from the lining surface of the vagina, it is called leucorrhoza, 
and when in either sex it comes from the lining surface of the bladder, it is 
called cystorrhoea, and when it comes from the lining surface of the urethra, 
it is called urethrorrhoea I When the prostate gland surrounding the neck 
becomes involved, it secretes copious quantities of a thin, white viscid 
fluid, known as the prostatic fluid. When the several ducts and vesicles 
beneath the urinary bladder become involved in the disease, there is a feel- 
ing of weight and uneasiness, pain and weakness in the back, across the 
hips, and through the loins, bearing down sensations, and restlessness dur- 
ing the night, lascivious dreams, accompanied with involuntary discharges 
of semen, or what is called spermatorrhoea. This involuntary loss is pro- 
duced by irritation, congestion, or inflammation of the lining surface of 
the urethra, seminal ducts, prostate gland, and seminal vesicles. As before 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 455 

mentioned, this disease is usually caused by secret vice. It is also some- 
times produced by gonorrhoea, terminating in gleet. It may also be pro- 
duced by certain conditions of the urine, caused by indigestion. When 
the food is imperfectly digested, and it sours and ferments in the stomach 
and bowels, forming large quantities of gas and acid, this acid is absorbed, 
poisoning the blood. This poisonous acid blood is finally sent to the 
kidneys, and, its acid, being removed by the action of these organs, is 
sent down through the ureters into the bladder, (see fig. 201.) Its 
presence in the bladder irritates the lining surface of that organ, causing 
congestion, and if neglected or improperly treated, it may be followed by 
inflammation, involving the prostate gland, which surrounds the neck of 
the bladder, &c. When this poisonous, acrid and irritating urine flows 
out along the delicate lining surface of the urethra, it will often cause 
smarting burning sensations, producing irritation, congestion and inflamma- 
tion, which may be extended out along the seminal ducts to the seminal 
vesicles, causing dreams, nightly emissions, &c. Spermatorrhoea is not 
always produced by self abuse, though this is by far its most common 
cause. It may be often produced by gleet, following gonorrhoea, and still 
more frequently, by what is now called catarrhal dyspepsia, accompanied 
with acid fermentation of the food, &c. Whatever may be the cause of 
this most distressing disease, it is always increased and made worse, by 
exposure to heats and colds, standing on the feet, walking, &c. 

When neglected or improperly treated, spermatorrhoea is often followed 
by impotency, or the partial or total loss of the reproductive power. This 
constant drainage or waste of the seminal fluid, weakens the organs con- 
cerned in its production, the nervous energies are gradually undermined 
and exhausted, premature decay and old age manifest themselves, and the 
reproductive functions are much impaired, and finally destroyed ! How 
many young men waste, with a prodigal hand, the hard earnings of their 
fond and devoted parents, in the vain pursuits of pleasure, and long before 
old age should come, die bankrupt; while others, more wise, prudently 
use the wealth they have inherited, and by their own energies add still 
more to their stores, as a provision for old age, and as an inheritance for 
their posterity. And so it is with the organs of reproduction : by the pro- 
digal exercise of their functions, they soon expend all their energies, and 
soon endure the punishment and mortification of finding themselves worn 
out, and prematurely impotent ! In vain they will now regret their early 
indiscretion, and the premature loss of that power which should have 
continued until the close of their existence. Many young men will laugh 
with scorn at the counsel and advice of wisdom, and listen only to the 
admonitions of passion and folly in the morning of their life, when full 



456 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

of youthful health and vigor, and in the evening of their life mourn and 
regret their early indiscretions ! 

Cure of Spermatorrhea. 

For the cure of this disease it will be necessary, first, to stop abusing 
the organs of reproduction. It is evident no permanent cure can be ac- 
complished until the causes which produced the disease are removed. 
Avoid reading unchaste literature, novels, love stories, &c, which only 
stimulate the passions and increase the excitement of the organs of repro- 
duction. Read scientific or historical works, travels, biographies, &c, 
which appeal to the nobler intellectual faculties and moral sentiments! 

Carefully regulate the diet, avoid more especially the use of those kinds 
of food which contain much sugar or starch, and which readily ferment, 
producing gas or wind in the stomach, forming large quantities of acids 
in the intestinal canal, which in turn are absorbed into the blood, loading 
the urine with uric, oxalic, or phosphoric acids, or the urates, oxalates, or 
phosphates of lime, and causing great irritation of the lining surface of 
the bladder and urinary passages, greatly increasing and perpetuating the 
disease. Nothing interferes so much with the cure of irritation, conges- 
tion or inflammation of the prostate gland, or lining surface of the urethra, 
as this poisonous acrid state of the urine. This condition of the urine 
cannot be removed by the mere use of medicine alone, as long as the causes 
which produce it are allowed to remain in operation. These causes are 
indigestion and the fermentation of the food. Sugar and starch are the 
principal sources of fermentation. Avoid then the use of beer and wine 
and other fer men ted liquors. When taken into the stomach such fluids 
always increase the irritation of the urinary passages far more than dis- 
tilled spirits, such as gin, whiskey, &c. Pure water, or black tea, are the 
safest and best fluids to drink when there is any irritation of the bladder 
or the linins; surface of the urethra. Fruit and vegetables ferment and 
decay rapidly, and for this reason should be abandoned, or at least eaten 
sparingly. When eaten, such food will always increase flatulency and the 
acidity of the urine, and so extend and perpetuate the disease. Milk fer- 
ments and turns sour very quickly, and is unfit food for those suffering 
with disease of the urinary organs. Wheat bread containing comparatively 
little starch is the best. It should always be well baked, or thoroughly 
toasted. Thorough cooking converts a part of the starch contained in bread 
into dextrin, and greatly diminishes its fermentability, and renders it far 
more digestible and nutritious. G-ood coarse wheat bread, well baked, with 
fresh eggs, fresh lamb, mutton, chicken or beef, stewed or boiled, and cooked 
soft and tender, with a little butter, are the safest and the best diet. Bread 
and meat are the most nutritious of all kinds of food. It is true they do 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 457 

not afford much variety, but they afford the most abundant nutrition, and 
aid materially in the cure of this disease. When the urine is high colored, 
and deposits copious red, white or yellow sediments, or when there is a 
jelly like substance found upon the bottom of the vessel containing it, 
called mucus, then the character of the urine should be changed, and the 
irritation of the urinary passages allayed by the use of some of the alka- 
lies or neutral salts, such as the bi carbonate of potash, or the acetate of 
potash, combined by copavia and extract of hyosciamus, taken three or 
four times a day until the urine becomes clear and free from sediments or 
deposits of any kind. 

Irritation, congestion and inflammation of the lining surface of the 
urethra will always be increased by exposure to sudden changes of heat 
or cold. It is an old maxim, that when we " take a cold it will always go 
to the weakest part, if it is a sore toe or a sore nose." This old saying is 
especially true as regards diseases of the mucous membranes lining the 
different organs of the body. The skin should be well protected with 
warm flannels, and the feet with woolen stockings and thick shoes, espe- 
cially during the cold winter season. When the system has become debil- 
itated and exhausted by seminal losses, then good nutritive tonics will be 
very beneficial, when taken just before or after each meal. Muriate of 
ammonia and chlorate of potash are thought to exercise a healing and 
beneficial influence in all diseases of the mucous membranes lining the 
different organs of the body, and are found to be especially useful in irri- 
tation, congestion and inflammation of the lining surface of the bladder, 
and urinary passages. Either of these salts may be combined with chloride 
of iron, and used with great advantage, when continued for a period of 
several weeks or months. But no tonic course of treatment will do much 
good until the acidity of the urine has been been removed, and ferment- 
ation of the food has been arrested by careful regulation of the diet, and 
the use of alkalies or neutral salts. 

Local Treatment. 

The most successful local treatment will be a hip bath of cold water, 
night and morning, and the use of astringent injections. A hip bath 
tub, composed of zinc or tin, of sufficient size to sit down in, should 
be prepared for this purpose. Begin with the use of the bath for two or 
three minutes at first, and gradually increase the period of time to fifteen 
or twenty minutes, at night and in the morning. On coming out of the 
bath, wipe dry, and use moderate friction, or rubbing with a coarse towel. 
Much of the local irritation of the bladder and urethra, together with the 
wandering aches and pains through the loins, back, and genitals, which 
are so annoying to many persons, may be removed by the judicious and 



458 ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

persevering use of the hip bath, twice a day, and careful attention to the 
laws of hygiene ! But by far the most effective part of the treatment 
consists of the use of injections applied directly to the seat of the disease! 
"When the lining surface of the vagina, or neck of the womb becomes ir- 
ritated, congested or inflamed, no intelligent physician at the present day 
thinks of curing them without applying washes directly to the seat of the 
disease, either by the use of the speculum in the hands of the surgeon, or 
by means of the vaginal syringe, seen in fig. 227. By means of the vagi- 
nal syringe and the injection of soothing tonic and astringent washes into 
the vagina, and the use of astringent, alterative and tonic medicines inter- 
nally, the most inveterate and long standing cases of leucorrhcea may be 
cured in the female, and the same is true of the male, when afflicted with 
irritation, congestion or inflammation of the urethra, especially when aided 
by the judicious use of hygienic and tonic remedies. 

Injections should be used at bedtime, and after emptying the bladder, 
so that the injection may be retained a short time within the urethra before 
it is discharged. Quite a number of preparations may be used for this 
purpose, alum, chlorate of potash, borax, sulphate of copper, sulphate of 
zinc, tannin, glycerin, &c, may all of them be used under different con- 
ditions and circumstances. Much will depend upon the duration of the 
disease, the state of the urethra, whether the discharges depend upon irri- 
tation, congestion or inflammation ! If the parts are much inflamed and 
tender, chlorate of potash forms the best solution. If there is congestion 
with spasmodic stricture, &c, then alum or tannin will answer a better pur- 
pose, and when there is inflammation, nitrate of silver, or the sulphate of 
zinc is the best. The strength of these solutions must also depend upon 
the condition of the urethra, and the effects produced. They should be 
applied not oftener than once in one or two weeks. At first, the irritation 
of the urethra will seem to be increased, rather than diminished, but this 
is only temporary, and lasts but for a short time. It may be allayed, if 
necessary, by the free use of demulcent drinks, such as flaxseed, or slip- 
pery elm bark tea, or barley water. 

To apply these washes properly, a suitable syringe will be required ; the 
one used by the Author is represented, much reduced in size, at fig. 218. 
Having prepared the injection for use, a small quantity of it is drawn up 
into the syringe, (a teaspoonful is sufficient, and quite as much as the ure- 
thra will contain.) Now oil the long pipe of the instrument, to facilitate 
its introduction, and then gently pass it down the cavity of the urethra 
as far as it will go, or nearly the whole length of the pipe, with the inside 
of the curve next the body; hold it steady, and force down the piston, 
and inject the contents of the syringe upon that part of the lining surface 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 459 

of the urethra which is the seat of disease. If there is much irritation, 
the introduction of the pipe of the syringe will cause considerable smart- 
ing or burning pain, but this will rapidly disappear under treatment. As 
the irritation, congestion, aud inflammation of the urethra subsides, there 
will soon be no disagreeable feelings attending the introduction of the 
instrument, or the application of the wash. This treatment may be con- 
tinued until the mucous membrane becomes hard and tough, and loses all 
of its morbid irritability, and all traces of the disease have disappeared ! 
In this way the Author has cured hundreds and thousands of cases of ir- 
ritable urethra and spermatorrhoea, in many parts of the country, within 
the past thirty years ! and he feels certain, that when honestly, judiciously, 
and perseveringly carried out, it will rarely, if ever, fail of effecting a 
cure ! 

He has dwelt at length, and with much emphasis, on this branch of the 
subject, for the reason that most of our cities and large country towns, 
are full of pestilent quacks, who know little or nothing of the true nature 
of this disease, and the appropriate and proper treatment, and who try to 
make up for deficiency of knowledge by specious pretension ; and having 
first frightened their credulous victims with false statements as to the na- 
ture and consequences of their disease, rob them of their money, and ruin 
their health ! The general plan pursued by these medical harpies, is first 
to assure their victims that insanity, idiocy, and death, will soon occur, 
unless speedily relieved, and when they have succeeded in exciting their 
terrors to the verge of frenzy and despair, they are ready to take advan- 
tage of their fears, offering to guarantee a sure and speedy cure for a large 
sum of money in advance ! Such a system of medical quackery and 
knavery is no better than highway robbery ! Under the specious garb 
and title of physician, they first alarm, and then rob and ruin their nume- 
rous victims ! There are several establishments in New York, Boston, 
Philadelphia, and Cincinnati, called "Anatomical Museums/' that are 
managed by alien Jews, with the chief object of defrauding and ruining 
the ignorant and unsuspecting of their money and health ! So many of 
their unfortunate victims have called the attention of the Author to their 
system of fraud and deception, that he feels compelled to warn young men 
to beware of them. 

Impotency. 

All of the organs of the body become gradually weaker and more 
feeble as old age advances. The stomach and organs of digestion and 
nutrition become weak and feeble, and are no longer able to digest food, 



460 ABUSES OP THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 

and convert it into blood, and this fluid becomes thin and impoverished, 
for want of a sufficient supply of nutriment. The skin becomes pale and 
transparent, the action of the heart is weak and feeble, the pulse small 
and irregular, with coldness of the hands and feet. The brain soon be- 
comes exhausted, for want of a sufficient supply of rich, pure blood, the 
nerves become weak, and finally, all of the functions of the body are man- 
ifested with difficulty. The functions of reproduction are among the first 
to be impaired by weakness of the organs of nutrition. Indigestion and 
imperfect nutrition may be caused by the use of unwholesome or indiges- 
tible food or drink, as shown in another part of this work. It may also 
be caused by the excessive use of alcoholic drinks, such as beer, wine, or 
whiskey, and more especially, by the inordinate use of tobacco. No ha- 
bit more certainly causes premature decay, and loss of the sexual functions, 
than the excessive use of tobacco ! The Author could present a great 
number and variety of cases to illustrate and prove the truth of this as- 
sertion. Premature decay and loss of sexual power is also often produced 
by sexual excesses, more especially when indulged in early life ! As before 
mentioned, these excesses cause irritability of the urethra and prostate 
gland, the secretion and discharge of a white starchy fluid, weakness of 
the back, loins, &c, and if not cured results in impotency. Leucorrhoea on 
the part of the female, is frequently followed by similar results. 

Cure op Impotency. 

When the seminal organs have become exhausted, and there is partial 
or total impotence, with great debility, occurring prematurely, or early in 
life, this disease may generally be cured by appropriate hygiene, and med- 
ical remedies ! These consist of the use of plain, simple, easily digested, 
and nourishing food, the use of the hip bath night and morning, and a 
well regulated course of tonic remedies, such as the preparation of phos- 
phorus, quinine, iron, nux vomica, &c. These remedies must be varied, 
according to circumstances, such as the duration and the extent of the 
disease, the age of the person, &c. In some cases, one of these tonics will 
afford relief, when others fail. These remedies should be used in small 
doses, and for a considerable period of time, in order to exert their bene- 
ficial influence. Of course, it will be useless to trifle with tonic remedies, 
without first correcting the injurious habits or excesses which produced 
the disease. 

When impotency occurs from natural causes, or is the result of natural 
decay and old age, it will be useless to attempt a cure by the use of medical 
remedies. 



ABUSES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. 461 



NOTE. 

It has been the aim of the Author to describe the structure, nature and 
uses of all of the most important organs of the human body in plain and 
intelligible language, which all can easily understand, and also to explain 
and illustrate the best method of cultivating, strengthening and preserving 
their health. He has also explained the causes of many of the most com- 
mon diseases of the principal organs of the body, how to prevent, as well 
as cure them. Much more might often have been written did the limited 
space of a work of this kind permit. It will be understood that the Author 
has not exhausted the resources of hygiene or medicine in his advice, or 
the remedies which he has directed for the use of invalids, but he feels 
confident that what he has advised will often be found both useful and 
beneficial. 

When further information upon any subject relating to the best means 
of acquiring and preserving health is desired, a letter addressed to the 
author, giving a full and careful statement of the case, will receive prompt 
attention, and an early reply. All letters upon such subjects should con- 
tain the name, residence, town, county and state carefully written, with a 
postage stamp, enclosed for return postage, and be addressed to Dr. C. W. 
Gleason, No. 1007 Arch Street, Philadelphia. 

30 



462 DIET FOE INVALIDS. 



DIET FOR INVALIDS 



In all acute, inflammatory and febrile diseases, the diet must be carefully 
regulated. In some instances, entire abstinence for one or two days may 
be required, especially at the commencement of fevers, accompanied with 
much derangement of the organs of digestion ; under such circumstances, 
the thirst may be assuaged by the use of whey, or water slightly acidulated 
with currant jelly, or raspberry vinegar, or apple water, or a light infusion 
of carscarilla, slightly acidulated with a small quantity of muriatic acid. 

Bread Tea. 
Toast a slice of good, light, well baked, stale wheat bread thoroughly. 
Put it in a pint bowl, and cover it with boiling water. Let it stand for an 
hour. Cool it with ice, and use when required. 

Oatmeal Gruel. 
Sprinkle a tablespoonful of good sweet oatmeal in a pint of boiling water, 
while stirring it briskly. Cook half an hour, and let it stand an hour and 
settle. Pour off the thin upper portion, and use as required. 

Barley Water. 
Soak a tablespoonful of pearl barley in a pint of cold water an hour; 
pour off the water, and put it in a pint of boiling water. Cook half an 
hour, and use when required. 

Rice Water. 
Soak a tablespoonful of clean rice in a cup of water an hour, then pour 
off, and boil in a pint of water half an hour. Use as required. 

All of these fluids should be kept well covered in a cool place, and pre- 
pared /res& as often as once in twenty-four hours. 

Demulcent Drinks. 
Put a pinch of isinglass, or a spoonful of flaxseed, or quinceseed, or 
slippery elm bark in a pint of warm water, allow it to stand thirty minutes, 
then pour off, and use as required. Useful in colds, catarrhs, diseases of 
the throat, air passages, stomach, kidneys, &c. 

Wine Whet. 
Boil half a point of sweet new milk, and add one or two wineglasses of 
sherry wine, strain through a sieve. Useful in great debility, after the 
inflammatory action has subsided. 



DIET FOR INVALIDS. 463 



Beef Tea. 
Cut up one pound of the best lean beef, very fine, and put it in half a 
pint of cold water, in a bowl, stir it frequently, and allow it to stand and 
soak four hours. Do not boil it, but allow it to simmer for two hours in a 
cohered sauce pan. Strain through a sieve, and use it as required in great 
debility, after the subsidence of acute disease. 

Milk and Lime Water. 

Boil two cupsful of sweet milk, and add one cupful of lime water. Use 
as required in many diseases accompanied with acidity and flatulency, with 
irritability of the stomach, &c. 

Barley Broth. 
Take half a chicken, or a small piece of lamb or mutton, remove the 
skin and fat, crack the bones, and cut the meat fine, put this in a pint of 
cool water. Do not boil, but simmer for an hour, then add two tablespoons- 
ful of pearl barley. Cook an hour, pour off, and use the thin part as re- 
quired. 



464 FORMULA. 



FORMULAE. 



The following are a few of the most useful remedies used by many of 
the most distinguished modern authors and physicians, for the treatment 
of diseases of the organs of digestion, the heart, lungs, brain, nerves, liver, 
skin, kidneys, bladder, eye, ear, nose, throat, diseases of women, &c. 

These remedies, as well as many others prepared only by the author, and 
used in his extensive practice for the last twenty years, are designed prin- 
cipally for the treatment of chronic diseases. They will be prepared to 
order from carefully selected drugs, of known purity and reliability, and 
carefully packed, with circulars containing full directions for use, with rules 
and regulations of diet, exercise, bathing, clothing, &c, and sent to all parts 
of the country by express, marked C. 0. D. 

DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 

Diseases of the Mouth. 

R. Borax, one drachm ; Honey, one drachm ; Myrrh, two drachms ; Water, 
eight ounces. Mix. Use as a mouth wash. 

Sore Throat. 

R. Chlorate of Potash, two drachms ; Warm Water, one pint; Spirit of Chloro- 
form, twenty drops. Mix. Draw up through the nose, and bring it down 
out of the mouth. 

Diphtheria. 

R. Muriated Tincture of Iron, one ounce ; Chlorate of Potash, four drachms ; 
Syrup of Orange, one pint. Mix. Take a teaspoonful every two or three 
hours, for a child over two or three years old. 

Indigestion. 

R. Bi Carbonate of Soda, one ounce ; Carbonate of Ammonia, two drachms ; 
Mint Water, one pint. Mix. Take a tablespoonful three times a day. In 
Flatulency, Acidity, Heartburn, &c. 

R. Sulphate of Quinia, one drachm ; Strychnia, three grains ; Citric Acid, two 
drachms. Mix and pulverize, and add Water, one pint. Take a teaspoon- 
ful after eating. 

Constipation. 

R. Compound Rhubarb Pill, two drachms ; Extract of Hyosciamus, one drachm ; 
Extract of Nux Vomica, twenty grains. Mix. Divide into sixty pills. 
Take one at night, and in the morning if required. 



FORMULAE. 465 

DlARRH(EA AND DYSENTERY. 
R. Aromatic Sulphuric Acid, Compound Spirits of Lavender, and Tincture of 
Opium, of each one ounce. Mix. Take a teaspoonful in a wineglassful of 
water, after each stool, three or four times a day. 

Cholera. 

R. Chloroform, Laudanum, Spirits of Camphor, and Aromatic Spirits of Ammo- 
nia, of each, three drachms ; Creasote, six drops ; Oil of Cinnamon, twenty 
drops ; Alcohol, four drachms. Mix. Take ten to thirty drops, in water. 

Chronic Inflammation of the Liver. 

R. Compound Extract of Colocynth, and Blue Pill, of each, twenty grains; 
Pulv. Ipecac, two grains. Mix. Divide into ten pills. Take two every 
other night, followed by a dessertspoonful of Kochelle Salts next morning. 

DISEASES OF THE HEART. 

R. Bromide of Potash, four drachms ; Tincture of Digitalis, two drachms ; Comp. 
Tincture of Cinchona, four ounces. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three or four 
times a day in water. In Nervous Palpitation of the Heart. 

R. Tincture of Aconite, one drachm. Take one drop, three times a day. In 

Enlargement of the Heart. / 

R. Pulv. Digitalis, ten grains ; Quinine, ten grains ; Extract of Belladonna, two 
grains. Mix. Divide into forty pills. Take one three times a day. In 
Dilation of the Heart, with Irregular and Feeble Pulse. Also, apply a Bella- 
donna Plaster over the Heart. 

DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION. 

Catarrh. 

R. Tincture of Opium, one ounce; Tincture of Benzoine, one ounce ; Diluted Al- 
cohol, six ounces. Mix. Fill an inhaling bottle half full, and inhale three 
times a day, through the Nose. 

R. Citrine Ointment, one drachm ; Extract of Belladonna, ten grains, Lard, one 
ounce. Mix. Apply a little to the inside of the Nose, on a camel's hair 
brush, at bedtime. 

R. Iodine, six grains ; Iodide of Potash, ten grains ; Water, one pint. Mix. 
Inject a syringeful up into the Nose, behind the Palate. 

Laryngitis. 

R. Muriate of Ammonia, one ounce ; Water, one pint ; Spirit of Chloroform, two 
drachms. Mix, Put a tablespoonful in an inhaling bottle, fill half full of 
warm water. Inhale ten minutes. In Inflammation of the Larynx. 

R. Tincture of Iodine, twenty drops ; Spirit of Chloroform, ten drops ; Warm 
Water, three ounces. Mix. Inhale. In Inflammation of the Larynx, with 
Loss of the Voice. 



466 FORMULAS. 

R. Ointment of Red Iodide of Mercury, one ounce. Apply a little to the skin 
over the Larynx, at bedtime. In Chronic Inflammation of the Larynx, with 
Loss of Voice. 

Asthma. 

R. Tincture of Lobelia, one ounce ; Tincture of Belladonna, one ounce ; Tincture 
of Tolu, one ounce ; Chloroform, one drachm ;• Diluted Alcohol, four ounces. 
Mix. Fill an inhaling bottle half full, and inhale. 

R. Extract of Cannabis Indicae, ten grains. ; Oxide of Zinc, twenty-five grains ; 
Quinine, ten grains. Mix. Divide into twenty pills. Take one two or 
three times a day. 

Acute Bronchitis. 

R. Salt, one teaspoonful ; Tincture of Opium, thirty drops ; Warm Water, two 
ounces. Mix. Inhale ten minutes, at the commencement of an attack. 

R. Syrup of Tolu, two ounces ; Tincture of Lobelia, one ounce ; Elixir Paregoric, 
one ounce. Mix. Shake up and take a teaspoonful every three hours. 

R. Sulphate of Quinine, twenty grains ; Sulphate of Zinc, sixty grains ; Aromatic 
Sulphuric Acid, four drachms ; Syrup of Tolu, four ounces. Mix. Take 
a teaspoonful three or four times a day, to diminish excessive expectoration 
and night sweats. 

Chronic Bronchitis. 

R. Spirits of Turpentine, three ounces ; Acetic Acid, one drachm ; Oil of Lemons, 
one drachm ; Olive Oil, three ounces. Mix. Shake up, and rub it well into 
the skin over the Chest and Throat, night and morning. 

R. Muriate of Ammonia, one ounce ; Chlorate of Potash, two drachms ; Syrup 
of Wild Cherry, one pint. Mix. Take a dessertspoonful three or four 
times a day 

R. Iodine, twenty grains ; Chloroform, one ounce ; Tincture of Tolu, one ounce ; 
Alcohol, six ounces. Mix. Fill an inhaling bottle half full, inhale the 
vapor five or ten minutes, three times a day. 

R. Fluid Carbolic Acid, five to ten drops ; Warm Water, three ounces. Mix. 
Inhale three or four times a day, when the expectoration is offensive. 

R. Fluid Carbolic Acid, one drachm ; Tincture of Conium, two ounces ; Tinct- 
ure of Tolu, one ounce ; Diluted Alcohol, five ounces. Mix. Fill the 
inhaling bottle half full of warm water, and add a tablespoonful. Inhale 
several times a day. 

Consumption. 

R. Iodine, thirty grains ; Calomel, eight grains; Alcohol, one drachm ; Simple 
Cerate, one ounce. Mix. Rub it over the affected Lung until it causes an 
eruption. 

R, Oxide of Zinc, one drachm; Extract of Conium, thirty grains. Mix. Divide 
into thirty pills. Take one three times a day, to arrest profuse Night Sweats, 
Chronic Diarrhoea, &c. 



FORMULA. 467 

E. Syrup of Lacto-phosphate of Lime, eight ounces. Take a teaspoonful three 
times a day. 

R. Muriated Tincture of iron, one ounce ; Quinine, sixty grains ; Syrup of Orange, 
one pint. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three times a day. 

DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVES. 

Insomnia, or Sleeplessness. 

R. Bromide of Potash, one ounce ; Extract of Hops, two drachms ; Water, 
eight ounces. Mix. Take a tablespoonful half an hour before eating the 
last meal, and at bedtime. 

Headache. 

R. Oxide of Zinc, one drachm ; Confection of Roses, q. s. Mix, and divide 
into twenty pills. Take one three times a day, after eating. 

R. Quinine, one drachm ; Citric Acid, one drachm ; Water, one pint. Mix. 
Then add Fowler's Solution, one ounce. Take a teaspoonful after eating, 
* three times a day. 

R. Comp'd Tincture of Cinchona, five ounces; Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia, 
three ounces. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three times a day, after eating, in 
water. In Headache, with Flatulency. 

R. Tincture of Nux Vomica, one ounce. Take five drops in water after each 
meal. In Headache, with Flatulency. 

Delirium Tremens. 

R. Oxide of Zinc, thirty grains ; Confection of Roses, q. s. Mix. Divide 
into ten pills. Take one three times a day. 

R. Tincture of Digitalis, two ounces. Take thirty drops in a wineglassful of 
water. Repeat this dose, if not relieved at the end of four hours. 

Epilepsy. 
R. Iodide of Potash, two drachms ; Bromide of Potash, two drachms ; Bromide 
of Ammonia, one drachm ; Bi Carbonate of Potash, two drachms ; Water, 
one pint. Mix. Take a teaspoonful before each meal, and two tablespoons- 
ful at bedtime, in water. 

Chorea. 

R. Sulphate of Quinia, one drachm ; and Citric Acid, one drachm ; Water, 
one pint. Mix. Add Fowler's Solution, one ounce. Take one or two tea- 
spoonsful after each meal, in water. 

R. Fluid Extract of Cimicifuga, one ounce. Take twenty drops three times a 
day, in a little water. 

Neuralgia. 

R. Extract of Belladonna, ten grains ; Camphor, two drachms ; Extract of Acon- 
ite, ten grains ; Sulphate of Morphine, two grains ; Arsenious Acid ; one 
grain ; Sulphate of Quinine, thirty grains. Mix. Divide into forty pills. 
Take one three times a day. 



468 FORMULA. 

E. Sulphate of Atropia, thirty grains ; Sulphate of Morphia, one drachm ; Acon- 
ite, six grains ; Diluted Sulphuric Acid, twenty drops ; Alcohol, two ounces; 
Olive Oil, one pint. Mix. Shake up, and apply to the skin over the seat 
of pain. 

Sciatica. 

E. Oil of Turpentine, one ounce ; Honey, eight ounces. Mix. Shake up, and 
take a tablespoonful night and morning. 

E. Belladonna Plaster. Apply to the skin over the seat of pain. In Sciatica 
and Neuralgia. 

E. Extract of Hyosciamus, forty grains ; Oxide of Zinc, forty grains. Divide 
into forty pills. Take one morning and evening, and increase to twenty or 
thirty of them daily. In Facial Neuralgia. 

DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 

Eheumatism. 

E. Bi Carbonate of Potash, twelve drachms ; Iodide of Potash, four drachms ; 
Water, two pints. Mix. Take a tablespoonful three or four times a day 
in water. 

E. Fowler's Solution, one ounce ; Iodide of Potash, one ounce ; Simple Syrup, 
one Pint. Mix, and dissolve. Take a teaspoonful three times a day. In 
Articular Rheumatism of the small Joints. 

0-OUT. 

E. Bi Carb. of Potash, one ounce ; Wine of Colchicum, three ounces ; Sulphate 
of Morphine, ten grains ; Water, one pint. Mix. Shake up, and take one 
or two teaspoonsful three or four times a day. 

Chills and Fever. 

E. Comp'd Tincture of Cinchona, eight ounces ; -Quinine, thirty grains ; Aro- 
matic Sulphuric Acid, one ounce. Mix. Take a teaspoonful in water, 
before each meal, three times a day. 

Anaemia 

E. Muriatic Acid, one to two ounces ; Warm Water, thirty gallons. Mix in a 
wooden tub, and remain in it ten to twenty minutes. 

E. Phosphate of Iron, four drachms , Quinine, thirty grains ; Citric Acid, one 
drachm ; Syrup of Orange, eight ounces ; Wine, eight ounces. Mix. Take 
a teaspoonful three times a day. 

E. Tincture of Chloride of Iron, one ounce; Quinine, thirty grains; Syrup of 
Orange, one pint. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three times a day in water. 

DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 
Erythema. 
E. Lead Water, Glycerin, of each one drachm ; Simple Cerate, one ounce. Mix. 
Apply night and morning. 



FORMULAE. 



469 



Chilblains. 

R. Oil of Turpentine, Tincture of Belladonna, Soap Liniment, of each one ounce. 
Mix. Apply. 

Urticaria, or Nettle Rash. 

R. Liquor of Arsenate of Potash, three drachms ; Liquor of Potash, four drachms ; 
Tincture of Cardamon, five ounces. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three times 
a day in water. 

R. Warm Bath. Use for ten to twenty minutes, will afford almost instant relief. 

Lichen, or Prickly Heat. 

R. Arsenate of Soda, one grain ; Water eight ounces. Take a teaspoonful once 
or twice a day, and use an alkaline bath. 

Prurigo. 

R. Arsenate of Iron, three grains ; Extract of Lupuline, one drachm ; Powder 
of Althese, thirty grains ; Orange Water, q. s. Mix. Divide into sixty 
pills. Take one or two daily. 

R. Pyroligneous Oil of Juniper, Alcohol, of each, one ounce ; Water, six ounces. 
Mix. Apply to allay itching, &c 

R. Hyposulphate of Soda, two drachms ; Glycerin, two ounces ; Water, six ounces. 
Mix. Useful in Pruritus of the Vagina. 

Eczema, or Moist Tetter. 

R. Tincture of Chloride of Iron, one ounce ; Liquor of Arsenate of Potash, one 
drachm ; Corrosive Sublimate, three grains. Mix. Take twenty drops in 
a wineglassful of sweetened water 

R. Carbonate of Potash, one drachm ; Water, one pint. Mix. Wash the parts 
with this, and keep them constantly wet with this lotion, until the inflam- 
mation subsides. 

R. Oil of Cade, one drachm ; Glycerin, one ounce ; Starch, two drachms. Mix. 
Cook to the consistence of an ointment. Apply twice a day. 



Herpes, or Ringworm. 

R. Carbolic Acid, two drachms ; Glycerin, one ounce ; Rose Water, eight ounces. 
Mix. Apply to " Ringworm" 

DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 

DlABETIS. 
R. Opium, ten grains. Divide into ten pills. Take one at night. 

R. Tincture of Chloride of Iron, one ounce ; Strychnia, three grains ; Simple 
Syrup, one pint. Mix. Take a teaspoonful in a wineglassful of water. 



470 FORMULAS. 

Bright's Disease. 

B. Tincture of Chloride of Iron, one ounce ; Acetic Acid, one drachm. Mix and 
add, Liquor of Acetate of Ammonia, ten ounces ; Syrup of Orange, six 
ounces. Take a teaspoonful three times a day, in water. 

Gravel. 

B. Fluid Extract of Hydrangea, eight ounces. Take a teaspoonful in water, three 
times a day. 

Dropsy. 

E. Powdered Squills, twenty grains ; Powdered Digitalis, ten grains ; Blue Pill, 
forty grains. Mix. Divide into twenty pills. Take one pill two or three 
times a day, 

B.' Acetate of Potash, twenty grains ; Spirits of Nitric Ether, thirty drops ; De- 
coction of Juniper Berries, two ounces. Mix. To be given with each dose 
of the above pills. 

B. Blue Ointment, Belladonna Ointment, of each one ounce. Mix. Apply over 
the Abdomen. This is very successful in Dropsy depending on Cirrhosis 
of the Liver. 

DISEASES OF THE EYE. 

Catarrhal Ophthalmia. 

E. Alum, five grains ; water, one ounce. Mix. After bathing the eyes with a 
teaspoonful of fine salt in a teacupful of tepid water, for ten minutes, three 
times a day, open the lids, and pour in a few drops of this lotion. In sim- 
ple Conjunctivitis. 

E. Alum, three grains ; Sulphate of Zinc, one grain ; Water, one ounce. Mix. 
Use as a. lotion when the disease becomes chronic, and is of long standing. 
In Chronic Conjunctivitis. 

E. Fresh Ointment of Mtrate of Mercury, one drachm ; Benzoated Lard, four 
drachms. Mix. Anoint the edges of the lids at night, after using the 
lotion. In Chronic Inflammation. 

E. Powdered Opium, two grains ; Corrosive Sublimate, one-eighth grain ; Water, 
one ounce. Mix. Cleanse the eyes often with the alum wash, then open 
and drop a few drops into the eyes. In Purulent Ophthalmia of Infants. 
Do this every hour, and keep the eyes clean by the use of a syringe to remove 
the matter beneath the lids. 

Iritis. 

E. Atropia Sulphatis, three grains ; Water, one ounce. Mix. Drop a few drops 
of this into the eye every hour, until the pupil is dilated, and then three 
times a day. In all cases of deep seated Inflammation of the Iris, with great 
pain, &c. 



FORMULAS. 471 

DISEASES OF THE EAK. 

Otitis Externa. 

E. Nitrate of Silver, five grains ; Water, one ounce. Mix. Apply with a cam- 
el's hair brush to the inside of the Auditory Canal. 

B. Carbolic Acid, ten drops ; Glycerin, two ounces. Mix. Cleanse out the Ear 
with warm soap and water, two or three times a day, and then wipe dry, 
and drop a few drops into the Ears. In Otorrhoea, with offensive discharges. 

E. Ointment of Eed Iodide of Mercury, one ounce. Apply a little behind the 
Ears, once or twice a week. In old long standing cases of Otorrhoea. 

E. Chloroform, four drachms ; Laudanum, four drachms. Mix. Wet some cot- 
ton, and apply around the Ear, and cover with a bandage. In Otalgia, or 
Earache. 

DISEASES OF WOMEN. 

Suppression. 

E. Apiol, two drachms. Divide into thirty pills. Take one three or four times 
a day. 

Uterine Hemorrhage. 

E. Ammonio Ferric Alum, one ounce ; Syrup of Cinnamon, one pint. Mix. 
Take from a tea to a tablespoonful three times a day in water. 

E. Alum, two drachms ; Water, one pint. Mix. Use as an injection with a 
good vaginal syringe with a shield, three times a day, and retain it ten 
minutes. 

Painful Menstruation. 

E. Camphor, one hundred and fifty grains ; Extract of Belladonna, thirty grains ; 
Quinine, thirty grains. Mix. Divide into eighty pills. Take one every 
four hours until relieved. 

E. Salt, one tablespoonful ; Warm Water, one pint. Mix. Inject a syringeful 
every hour, and retain it for five minutes with the shield of the syringe. 

E. Belladonna Plaster. Apply to the lower part of the spine, between the hips. 

Uterine Catarrh. 

E. Fluid Extract of Ere-ot. two drachms: Svrup of Orange, one pint. Mix. 
Take from a tea to a tablespoonful three times a day. 

E. Iron Alum, one ounce ; Syrup of Cinnamon, one pint. Mix. Take from a 
tea to a tablespoonful three times a day. 

E. Persulphate of Iron, one drachm ; Warm Water, one pint ; Tinct. of Opium, 
two drachms. Mix. Inject a syringeful three times a day, and retain it 
ten minutes. 






Ulceration of the Mouth and Neck op the Womb. 

R. Carbolic Acid, two drachms ; Borax, one drachm ; Water, one pint. Mix. 
Inject a syringeful, with a good vaginal syringe, with a shield, and retain it 
ten minutes, three times a day. In old chronic cases of long standing, apply 
one part of Carbolic Acid, and two parts of Glycerin, on a little cotton 
through a Speculum, and remove it next day. 

Ovarian Neuralgia. 

R. Muriate of Ammonia, four drachms ; Tincture of Aconite, four drachms ; 
Syrup of Orange, one pint. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three times a day 
in water. 

DISEASES OF CHILDREN. 

Thrush. 

R. Borax, one drachm ; Glycerin, one ounce. Apply with a camel's hair brush 
four or five times a day. 

Sore Mouth. 

R. Chlorate of Potash, one drachm ; Honey, four drachms ; Water, two ounces. 
Mix. Apply some of this wash several times a day. 

Ulcerated Sore Mouth or Throat. 

R. Sulphate of Copper, two drachms ; Powdered Peruvian Bark, four drachms ; 
Water, four ounces. Apply twice a day carefully 

Croup. 

R. Turpeth Mineral, three to five grains. Taken immediately at the commence- 
ment of the attack. If it does not vomit in fifteen minutes, give a second 
dose. 

Infantile Biarrhcea. 

R. Tincture of Opium, twelve drops ; Chalk Mixture, two ounces. Mix. Shake 
up and take a teaspoonful every two hours. 

Incontinence of Urine. 

R. Chloral Hydrate, two drachms ; Syrup of Tolu, two ounces ; Water, two 
ounces. Mix. Take a tablespoonful at bed time. 



